Virgil van Dijk thinks the squad’s already intense will to win titles will only grow if it is announced that Jürgen Klopp will be leaving Liverpool at the conclusion of the year.
The decision by Klopp to step down as manager of the Reds at the end of the current campaign was made public on Friday.
Van Dijk shared his feelings on the news he and the team received at the AXA Training Centre with Liverpoolfc.com.
The No. 4 continued by restating the manager’s stance that the team’s goal of winning titles in 2023–24 should take precedence,
which will continue with Sunday’s Emirates FA Cup matchup against Norwich City.
Virgil, obviously the manager has announced he is going to leave the club at the end of the season. What was your reaction to the news?
It’s difficult to accept since, in my opinion, the manager has a great deal of significance for the team, me, the Premier League, and all of us.
However, he made the choice for his family and himself. It was always going to be difficult, and in fact, it was.
It was a private moment for the boss and for the players, but are there any details you can share on how he told the players and what the reaction was?
Yes, he told us in private, and we were all present. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a difficult one to accept, but our attitude is business-oriented.
There are still a lot of goals we need to accomplish this year, so why not cap off the season with a party for the boss?
The manager was really keen in his interview to stress it’s business as usual. How do you ensure that happens? You see the media at the moment, it’s everywhere – how do you ensure there is no distraction?
I consider how we constantly work to control outside sounds. This is huge, of course; this is huge football news.
It was also a very significant day for us. But the management is also emphasizing the fact that we have high goals for this year.
I want to make sure the other males feel the same way, both for us and for myself.
That seems to be the situation as well. Everyone has high aspirations, and that mindset has existed since the preseason and hasn’t altered.
I think a lot of fans will be really pleased to hear that, because they are
talking about making sure the boss’ last few games are as successful as can be.
Is that something you’re going to have to transmit to the other players or will it be a collective feeling from day one?
As I’ve already mentioned, I believe there will be a collective emotion, and up until now,
I hadn’t had any indication that wasn’t the case. I believe it should just give you that extra push,
that unique sense that says, let’s make the most of it. As I mentioned previously,
I believe that the desire to make amends for last year was present from the beginning of the season and that we must maintain it.
It will also feel that way as a supporter and admirer of the football team. You want to be present,
not only for the manager but also for the team.
Do you feel any added responsibility as captain in ensuring that this season isn’t disrupted?
Yes, without a doubt. Like I mentioned before, I believe that my own approach is to ensure that the
news doesn’t interfere with our objectives or targets that we are working toward.
That’s also what the manager desires. We aim to accomplish a lot and maintain our current form,
style of play, and the players who are performing so well and maintaining their confidence.
We must therefore continue on. As previously stated, the manager shares those same goals,
so we must ignore extraneous distractions, have a tunnel vision, and concentrate on helping the management at the club succeed in these upcoming months.
A big week is coming up as well – Norwich, Chelsea, Arsenal. There’s not much time to reflect and think really, is there?
Definitely not, no. That’s another aspect of football’s beauty. We are prepared for this weekend’s FA Cup,
which promises to be a very difficult competition.
We need everyone, and we have demonstrated that over the entire season.
We also have guys returning, which is a huge plus. Yes, that is something I’m looking forward to.
After that, as you mentioned, we’ll be playing two difficult games in the Premier League.
Let’s go out there and take it all in, be there as a team of players but most importantly as a unit and connect with the supporters and fans worldwide.
