Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has revealed the his side’s adaptability is serving them well in their quest for the Premier League title.
The Reds sit two points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table after 25 rounds of fixtures, while they are no longer in danger of being overtaken by reigning champions Manchester City after they play their game in hand after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Chelsea on Saturday.
Earlier that day, Liverpool earned an impressive 4-1 win away at Brentford, but picked up three new injury concerns along the way. Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota had to be hauled off before the break, while Darwin Nunez was substituted as a precaution at half-time.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was ruled out of contention due to a recurring knee problem at the start of the week, while Alisson had to pull out of the squad less than 24 hours before kick-off at the Gtech Community Stadium having sustained a hamstring injury.
Speaking to the press post-match, Van Dijk insisted Liverpool can’t afford to get too bogged down by their lengthy list of absentees.
“That is something for the outside world to judge. We cannot deny that we have had so many injuries and we have lost big players so we have to adapt but it is also a big credit to the players who have stepped up and taken their chances,” he said.
“We need everyone in this whole fight. We are still competing on all fronts and let’s keep this going until the very last moment so we can be successful.
“We cannot take our eye off the ball. We have the quality to punish opponents and we showed that against Brentford.”
Saturday’s victory was Liverpool’s first at Brentford since the Bees were promoted to the Premier League in 2021, and Van Dijk said this was an important mental hurdle to clear.
“We have had a little bit of trouble here before,” Van Dijk said. “But there can be no questions about the resilience of the team at this point. We have shown in the last couple of seasons we always try and find a way. We had to deal with certain difficult moments but we have the quality and we have the players.
“Last year I got injured here and got a muscle injury I had never had before. But that was last year and you should not think of negative things otherwise you limit yourself, in my opinion. It was always going to be tough even before the injuries.”
He added: “If you see how they [Brentford] set it up, keeping only one defender at the back and trying to press us…
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