Van Dijk Addresses Waning Confidence After Another Poor Result

After tonight’s 3-2 loss to Arsenal, Liverpool have now dropped points in six of their first eight matches of the Premier League season. As frustrating as the results have been, the performances have often been worse. It’s not the start the Reds would have liked, and it’s falling far short of the lofty expectations they’ve created over the last few years.

While there were some strong spells of play from Liverpool at the Emirates and the match was ultimately decided by an iffy penalty kick, it’s hard to argue the Reds deserved a result. Still, Virgil van Dijk had a hard time moving past the fact the deciding goal came from a controversial call when speaking to Sky Sports after the match.

“Obviously it was a very tough game for both sides. We had good moments, we had bad moments,” said van Dijk. “Then it got decided by a penalty that from my point of view wasn’t a penalty. But it goes so quick, I haven’t looked in slow motion. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the points to bring with us back to Liverpool.

“It is tough to take in general, conceding goals. But we know they’re in the best moment of their lives. They had a great season. We knew it was always going to be tough. I think we had good moments, created good chances at times. It’s hard to lose it by a penalty in my opinion, but it’s the case, so we have to deal with that.”

While van Dijk seemed more hung up on the penalty than the catastrophic defensive lapses that allowed Arsenal to score three goals, he did concede that confidence is becoming an issue as poor performances are piling up.

“Confidence is definitely a thing that plays a part. We’re all human beings,” said the defender. “Sometimes you need a bit of confidence in certain moments. If it’s not as high, it won’t help in certain situations.

“Every human being needs confidence to perform at the highest level. If you’re not winning, confidence is creeping away. We know we can turn it around but we have to work hard. That’s the only thing to do and the only way forward as well.”