A furious Virgil van Dijk has labelled Liverpool's season 'unacceptable' and told his team-mates to put things right next term. The Reds captain also defended manager Arne Slot's decision to give players time off before Sunday's messy 3-2 defeat away to Manchester United.
The loss means Liverpool are likely to finish fourth in the Premier League, having also been knocked out of the FA Cup and Champions League last month. Since their schedule reduced to one game per week, Slot has allowed more downtime, with some players travelling Europe on days off.
A portion of Liverpool's fan base have criticised these trips, but Van Dijk insists professionalism remains. 'I'm not sure it's a holiday,' the 34-year-old said. 'It's a city trip. It was only one day away. But if you have one day off, they decide what to do with their families. We are not kids. Everyone is an adult.'
He added: 'Today we played. Two days away with the family again. It's not that we have a holiday whatsoever. I wish we had a couple more days off at times because it works both ways. You see Pep Guardiola giving Manchester City three days off in recent weeks and they are doing pretty well. It is finding the right balance.'
Van Dijk acknowledged the disappointment: 'Like anyone else, I want this to be solved. I want us to be successful, consistent, winning games. At the minute, we are just disappointed. Consistency is the most difficult thing, but also the best way to be successful. We have three more games then the World Cup. Next season cannot be repeated. It is unacceptable.'
Liverpool have lost 11 league games for the first time since 2014-15. Van Dijk knows there's no hiding place, though he cited injuries as a factor. 'I'm not here to make excuses,' he said. 'It's been a very disappointing season, an unacceptable season. We shouldn't feel sorry for ourselves. We have to turn it around. It's not Liverpool.'
He highlighted specific injuries: 'Every injury is a separate case. I don't think anyone can predict Alex Isak having a leg break, or Wata having a foot injury, or Gio having an ACL, or Giorgi having stitches. It's tricky having two goalkeepers out. But I can stand here and say that is the reason we are where we are, but I wouldn't do that. It's down to us to turn it around.'
