Van Dijk attracted criticism alongside teammates as Liverpool finished fifth; the Dutch defender reveals why he is optimistic for the 2023/24 season; the Reds have already brought in Alexis Mac Allister in the summer transfer window.
Virgil van Dijk has admitted Liverpool’s 2022/23 season came as a ‘shock’ but says he is motivated by their late form and incoming transfer arrivals at Anfield.
The Reds were sixth with only 22 points at the 2022 World Cup break in November and, despite a desperate charge at the backend of the hectic campaign, Jurgen Klopp’s side could eventually only secure Europa League football as Manchester United and Newcastle finished in the top four.
Liverpool have already brought in Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton and are interested in deals for midfielders like Khephren Thuram, Ryan Gravenberch and Manu Kone, having also confirmed the exit of a number of fringe squad members.
Their defensive displays and Van Dijk’s form in particular attracted sharp criticism at points during the 2022/23 campaign, but the Dutchman says he is positive again after what was a long and difficult season.
He said: “I still have two years left on my contract and I assume that they [Liverpool] still consider me important for the team. If not, I am sure I would have heard about it.
“My contact with the manager is good and I feel very positive about things again. The way we finished the season motivates me to go into pre-season with the new players who are coming in.
“I don’t feel too big to be vulnerable. It has been quite an intense season, with many ups and downs and people must understand that we aren’t robots.
“It has been a year in which I learned a lot – especially off the pitch, and certainly mentally. In football it’s never plain sailing – but this season was still quite a shock. Sometimes the criticism was just right, both on the team and on me individually.
“But quite often it was not quite right. Either way, you have to be able to deal with it and I’m glad I came out of it well. Mentally, that’s not always easy.”
Liverpool will be among the favourites for the 2023/24 Europa League when they compete in the competition for the first time since 2015/16.
Meanwhile, Van Dijk is on international duty with the Netherlands on Sunday when the Oranje take on Italy in the Nations League Finals third place play-off.