15 March 2024 , 22:55
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Virgil van Dijk admits he regrets what he said in the aftermath of Liverpool's Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea.
Van Dijk scored the winner deep into injury-time at Wembley to give the Reds a hard-earned trophy. The Dutchman was the man of the moment and Liverpool posted a short clip on social media which showed Van Dijk proclaiming: “they thought I was finished” followed by a knowing shrug.
The snappy line was a response to those who questioned the towering centre-back during a difficult 2022/23 season in which Liverpool could only finish fifth in the Premier League. Now he’s back at the top of his game and with the benefit of hindsight, Van Dijk wishes he hadn’t said the line, which has been viewed 1.5m on Twitter.
“I shouldn’t have said that, because I don’t want to have the wrong intentions,” he said. “That was part of the emotion coming out of me because there were so many emotions going through my whole body that day. Last season was disappointing.
“Not disappointing in a way that I was bad, I didn’t feel like that at all, I was below my standards and the consistency wasn’t there that I have had and set for myself in each and every game. Maybe it was good to say because it gets it out of me, but I don’t like noise around me.
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“The break helped massively in the summer and that brought me into good shape. I feel very comfortable this season in every aspect of the game, obviously confidence is a big driver when you play the game but in general I think I have made big steps in possession.
“The manager said the other day that it is not just as simple as wearing the armband and there are a lot of things that just clicked again. The responsibility I have has helped that, but I feel that I have made steps. I want to continue enjoying it and see what it leads to.”
Virgil van Dijk has been in superb form recently (2024 AMA Sports Photo Agency)Van Dijk’s form has been absolutely central to Liverpool’s success in recent months, with so many of his team-mates out injured. He has led Jurgen Klopp's side from the back and has helped them sit joint top of the Premier League and remain in contention for the Europa League and FA Cup.
“I feel very comfortable this season in every aspect of the game,” he added. “Obviously confidence is a big driver but in general I think I have made big steps in possession. The manager said the other day that it is not just as simple as wearing the armband and I think there are a lot of things that just clicked again.
“I feel really good and the responsibility I have has helped that, but I feel that I have made steps again. I made steps in possession, steps in the way I defend and I really enjoy that.”
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