Virgil van Dijk has challenged Liverpool's £100m-plus signings to lead a new era of success under Andoni Iraola after Sunday's 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion lifted the Reds to fourth in the Premier League.
The Liverpool captain insists the club has the quality to thrive in a post-Mohamed Salah world after Bradley Barcola, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz all made significant contributions at the weekend.
The Reds claimed their fourth successive victory under Iraola by inflicting a second defeat on Fabian Hurzeler's side, who remain third following the loss at Anfield.
Match-Winners Step Up
Wirtz's effort was officially credited as an own goal by Pascal Gross before Barcola did well to close down Oliver Boscagli and supply Isak for his sixth goal of the campaign before half-time.
Between Isak, Barcola and Wirtz - a trio who have cost the club £364m - they have registered six goals and three assists in the last four games, excluding the strike that deflected in off Gross on Sunday.
Asked if all three are embracing the responsibility of being the match-winners following Salah's exit after nine years at the club, Van Dijk said they are showing that Liverpool can still thrive without the Egyptian, who now plays for Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor.
Captain's Confidence
"I think it is the reality," Van Dijk said. "What Mo has done for so many years as a winger, let's hope so, but I don't think anyone can replicate that. Hopefully it is going to happen, but what he did was incredible. The same goes with Sadio (Mane) and Bobby (Roberto Firmino)."
"Hopefully that is going to happen again and that is what we work for, but now it is time for others, and others have to step up."
"We can always think it was better back in the day, but that is not the mentality that it should be at a club like Liverpool, and I don't feel it has ever been. The club will always move on at a certain point, and there are always players who will shine and perform for the club. It is down to these players who are here now to show it every three or four days."
"Moments like this (the second goal) will give confidence to them and to the team as well. But we all see the quality that they both (Barcola and Isak) possess."
"You want it to come out as much as possible and as soon as possible and I think today, the second goal was class, but there are plenty of moments already this season that they have been very, very good."
Defensive Solidity
The victory means Liverpool have won eight of their last 10 across all competitions and have tasted defeat just once this term, when they conceded three goals in the final half hour with 10 men against Manchester City earlier this month.
Van Dijk added: "If I'm honest, we would have loved a bit more control of the ball. But against Brighton, that is sometimes asking for problems because they are so good at pressing."
"So we had to be a little bit more direct than we would have loved, because they go one-vs-one."
"If Flo (Wirtz) dropped, then Lewis Dunk followed him almost all the way, and that means our front three is going to be one-vs-one, and we have the pace and the quality to hurt them then, and I think that is what happened in the first half an hour."
"I think it is a great win. We didn't give much away and we kept a clean sheet, and scored some good goals."
With 11 men on the pitch, Liverpool have conceded just one goal since August in the Premier League, and much of that defensive solidity is down to Van Dijk's growing partnership with Jeremy Jacquet, the £60m summer signing from Rennes.
"He is doing very well," Van Dijk said of his 21-year-old centre-back partner. "He just has to keep going and let's see where the ceiling will be. I don't think it is there yet, so keep going."
"The relationship is good, and it is getting better each and every day that we are working with each other. That is what I said from day one: it takes games, especially, but also training sessions."
"Also off the pitch, the conversations that we are having. And the good moments, but also the less good moments that happen in a game, and seeing how we react to that and how we can help each other."
"I am enjoying it and I think he is enjoying it as well. Onto much more."
