Virgil van Dijk Sebut Performa Liverpool Musim Ini Tidak Bisa Diterima

Kapten Liverpool Virgil van Dijk melontarkan kritik tajam atas performa timnya yang dianggap tidak dapat diterima setelah menelan kekalahan ke-18 di semua kompetisi musim ini. Hasil minor saat menghadapi Manchester United tersebut semakin menyulitkan posisi tim asuhan Arne Slot dalam mempertahankan reputasi klub.

Kekalahan 3-2 di Old Trafford menandai kekalahan ke-11 bagi Liverpool dalam upaya mereka mempertahankan gelar Liga Inggris musim ini. Catatan buruk ini mendekati rekor Leicester City pada musim 2016-17 yang menelan 18 kekalahan sebagai juara bertahan liga.

Van Dijk menegaskan bahwa skuatnya tidak mencari alasan atas hasil mengecewakan yang menimpa tim Merseyside tersebut sepanjang kompetisi. Ia mendesak adanya evaluasi menyeluruh untuk memastikan kegagalan serupa tidak terulang di masa depan.

"I'm not here to make excuses," kata Van Dijk, bek Liverpool.

Pemain asal Belanda itu menyatakan kekecewaan mendalam atas jalannya musim yang ia nilai jauh dari standar klub sebesar Liverpool. Menurutnya, seluruh elemen tim harus bertanggung jawab untuk membalikkan keadaan pada musim mendatang.

"It's been a very disappointing season, an unacceptable season, and it's tough. We shouldn't feel sorry for ourselves whatsoever. We have to work and turn this around and make sure that next season these things don't happen. It's not Liverpool," tegas Van Dijk.

Saat ini, Liverpool masih membutuhkan tambahan empat poin dari tiga pertandingan tersisa untuk memastikan satu tempat di zona kualifikasi Liga Champions. Van Dijk menilai pencapaian tersebut sangat krusial bagi stabilitas finansial klub dan ambisi para pemain untuk tetap berkompetisi di level tertinggi Eropa.

"I think it's unacceptable that we have lost too many times as defending champions of the Premier League and we shouldn't accept it," ujar Van Dijk.

Menghadapi musim depan, bek berusia 34 tahun itu menyebut akan ada banyak pekerjaan besar yang dilakukan di internal klub. Fokusnya akan beralih sepenuhnya ke persiapan tim segera setelah ia menyelesaikan tugas di Piala Dunia.

"There will be a lot of work that has to be done going into next season. When I am back from the World Cup I will go into it, but there is a lot of work to be done behind the scenes," kata Van Dijk.

Van Dijk menyatakan kecintaannya yang besar terhadap klub dan komitmennya untuk tetap bertahan baik dalam kondisi sulit maupun saat masa kejayaan. Baginya, tiga pertandingan terakhir liga harus menjadi momen pembuktian kedewasaan bagi seluruh anggota tim.

"I care so much about this club. I know that it has been a tough season, but I will always be there in good and lesser good days. But we have three games left and the realisation has to come from ourselves, as a group and as players, to make sure that we are in the Champions League because of the impact of it for the financial side for the club. But also because we want to be playing against the best teams in Europe. It's not easy. But we keep going," tutur Van Dijk.

Terkait polemik mengenai minimnya intensitas latihan yang ramai dibahas di media sosial, Van Dijk membantah anggapan bahwa skuat mendapatkan terlalu banyak waktu istirahat. Ia membandingkan kebijakan tim dengan strategi manajer lain yang juga memberikan hari libur demi menjaga keseimbangan pemain.

"I'm not sure it's a holiday. It's a city trip. But I think if you have one day off, and you don't have many days off, they decide what they want to do with their families. We are not kids. Everyone is an adult. I wish we had a couple more days off at times because I think it works both ways. You see Pep Guardiola giving [Manchester] City three days off the last weeks in a row and they are doing pretty well. It is finding the right balance. I can understand if people think we are not training and when results are not there it could be a reason for why we are not getting results," jelas Van Dijk.

Ia berharap konsistensi tim dapat segera pulih agar mereka bisa kembali bersaing di papan atas. Baginya, memenangkan setiap pertandingan adalah satu-satunya cara untuk mencapai kesuksesan jangka panjang.

"Like anyone else, personally I want this to be solved. I want us to experience what I have had over my time here. I want us to be successful. I want to be consistent with the team, winning games, fighting. We want to get the job done. At the minute, we are just disappointed. Consistency is the most difficult thing in any job you do. But it is also the best way to be successful and get results. We have three more games, then the World Cup. We have to realise that next season, this season cannot be repeated. It is unacceptable," tutup Van Dijk.