Virgil van Dijk has admitted that Liverpool's confidence is 'creeping away' following their 3-2 defeat at Arsenal, their second loss of the Premier League season. The Dutch defender offered a brutally honest assessment after the match, acknowledging the growing concerns within the squad.
Arsenal took the lead within 58 seconds through Gabriel Martinelli, but Darwin Nunez levelled for Liverpool after half an hour. Bukayo Saka restored the hosts' advantage just before the break, only for Roberto Firmino to equalise again after the restart. However, a clumsy challenge by Thiago Alcantara on Gabriel Jesus gifted Arsenal a penalty, which Saka converted to secure all three points.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Van Dijk said: 'Confidence is definitely a thing that plays a part, but we are all human beings and sometimes you need a bit of confidence in certain moments. If you are not winning at the highest level like we are used to, then confidence is creeping away, but we know it can turn around just like that.'
The centre-back also addressed Liverpool's defensive frailties, adding: 'If you concede goals it's not a good thing. We do everything in our power to avoid it, but we have already conceded too many in my opinion, and there are always multiple reasons for it.'
Liverpool have won only two of their opening eight league matches, leaving them 14 points adrift of leaders Arsenal and fuelling doubts over their ability to challenge for the title this season.
