Liverpool Captain Virgil van Dijk Fires Warning To Teammates Amid Manchester City's Struggles
Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk has fired a warning to his teammates as rivals and champions Manchester City continue to struggle for form.
Pep Guardiola's team have endured a horrendous spell which has seen them win just one game out of the last eleven and lose the Manchester derby to two late goals on Sunday.
That has left them struggling in fifth place in the Premier League and in 22nd in the Champions League, where they will face PSG in France next when the competition returns in the new year.
As quoted by The Mirror, 33-year-old Van Dijk explained how Liverpool have been in a similar situation to City when the demanding fixture list takes its toll on the squad.
“It’s a lot of games and injuries are bound to happen and that could change the quality of games.
"What they’ve been going through with injuries and inconsistent games, going up and down, we’ve been there as well and it’s not an easy place to get out of and it’s not an easy place to be in."
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The Dutchman was also keen to point out that Liverpool have injuries of their own despite their fantastic start to the season.
“I won’t speak about them because I don’t focus on them, but I know how difficult it is to go through that and hopefully we don’t go through it, but we also have injuries.
"Whether that’s because of the load and all the games you don’t know, but obviously it plays a big part because it takes a lot out of your body, not only playing the game, but the travelling, flying around the world. But that’s football for 2024-25, so you have to deal with it.”
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City's form has caught everyone by surprise, and their recent struggles are not that different to those experienced at Anfield during the 2021/22 season after they had delivered their first Premier League title in 30 years.
How quickly Guardiola and his team can bounce back remains to be seen, but Van Dijk and Liverpool will be keen to ensure that they have built up a significant cushion before they do.
Mature Liverpool Enthusiast. LFC Transfer Room contributor & writer since 2021.