Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has blasted their season as ‘unacceptable’ – and says they need another Anfield miracle to stay in the Champions League.
The Reds are 2-0 down on aggregate to Paris Saint-Germain but that could have been much worse but for poor finishing and good goalkeeping.
Ahead of next Tuesday’s second leg back in England, Van Dijk says he is convinced the tie can be turned around but only if they believe in themselves like they did in 2019 when they overcame a 3-0 first-leg deficit to topple Barcelona in the semi-final.
‘Back then, you play one of the best teams in Europe, with obviously one of the best players ever in that team (Lionel Messi) and we had injuries,’ said Van Dijk.
‘And now we play against the best team in Europe. They’re the European champions, so I think it is similar in terms of, on paper, probably no one gives us a chance.
‘It starts with the belief that comes within yourself. It starts with the belief that we get from our manager, the right gameplan, and the intensity that we have to put in from the first second to the last if we really want to achieve something.
Virgil van Dijk lamented the ‘unacceptable’ season that Liverpool have undergone after winning the Premier League last term
‘That’s what I want. And that’s what I’m going to tell my boys. We have to show it. We have to show the desire, show the fight – that’s the least you have to do as a Liverpool player.’
Asked about recent defeats, including a 4-0 thrashing at Manchester City, Van Dijk added: ‘It’s unacceptable.
‘It’s the reality. It’s the big reality, and that’s why it’s so disappointing. And it’s very tough to deal with it. Things will eventually always come to an end, including my time at a certain point.
‘At the moment, the reality is that we are inconsistent. We are losing too many games. We’re having some good moments, and we don’t stay consistent in that sense.
‘But there was a time also before we had all those good years, and we came out of that as well as a club. It’s down to us as players to actually realise that we have to do it all together. We need each other.
‘At the moment we lose too many games, and the performances have just not been good and we are struggling to find consistency. It’s not easy.
‘But the reality is it is like that, and you have to own up to it, deal with it and improve it. At a certain point things come to an end and then others have to carry on, hopefully with successes.’
