Van Dijk agrees with Klopp over issue Liverpool must sort before season begins

03 August 2023 , 07:32

1152     0

Van Dijk agrees with Klopp over issue Liverpool must sort before season begins

Jurgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk both bemoaned lapses in concentration during Liverpool's pre-season defeat to Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

The Reds lost out in a seven-goal pre-season friendly despite leading 2-0 and 3-2 as the German giants secured a stoppage time victory thanks to Frans Kratzig's strike. The new Premier League season is nearly upon us with the Merseyside outfit beginning their campaign against Chelsea in the capital.

Last term Liverpool started slowly with defensive lapses costing them, which eventually proved to their detriment as they narrowly missed out on the top four. Klopp was generally pleased with a lot of their play against Bayern but highlighted their focus as a key issue when it came to the goals they conceded.

He said after the defeat: “A lot of good things and some things I didn’t like. Now we have to analyse. We need to look at what’s physical. We did a lot in training, especially yesterday in tough circumstances. You saw with the goals we conceded it was mainly down to a lack of concentration.

"They were very similar situations. That’s not allowed so we need to analyse properly and I’ll have enough time to do that on the flight home.”

Klopp's dream Liverpool line up as last-gasp January transfers rejected

Virgil van Dijk echoed that sentiment as he aired his frustration with LFCTV: "[There's] so many good things and things we have to improve. They [Bayern] are a very good opponent and they punish you if you are not on it for a split second - that is what happened today. [There's] still work to do - and that is what we are going to do."

The Dutch defender was on target as was his compatriot Cody Gakpo. Luis Diaz, who missed a huge part of last season through injury, also got on the scoresheet. The Reds have shipped ten goals in their four pre-season outings as they continue to try and plug gaps in the midfield.

Fabinho has, for several years, been the club's midfield anchor but he's left for Saudi Arabia in what was an unexpected transfer at the start of the summer. Jordan Henderson is another man who has departed with Klopp looking to settle on a first-choice trio.

Van Dijk, who is now the club's captain, recognised the fact the team have undergone a major overhaul. "We want to play at the highest level and compete with these teams and players," he said. "They punished us at times and that's how it is. We're still in pre-season and we've had big changes."

Samuel Meade