Virgil van Dijk: We have to be fully concentrated and ready to fight

“So that means we have to be fully focused and ready from the first whistle to fight for the points. We've had some good days and nights against Chelsea in recent years, but that counts for nothing this weekend. We need to be ready and we need to be close to our best if we want to get the result we want.

“There is no doubt that the next three weeks will challenge each and every one of us. From Sunday we will play seven games in 20 days, in three competitions and against some very good teams. We're going to be put to the test and we're going to need everyone at their best.

“But that’s exactly what we want. We want to play in big games. We want to compete in the Champions League, at the top of the Premier League and in the national cup competitions. We are Liverpool and this means that testing periods like this should be viewed as normal and approached with excitement and not fear.”

Van Dijk continued: “The last international period ended in frustration for me personally, but for some of my teammates there were some really positive aspects.”

“For example, congratulations to Conor Bradley, who captained Northern Ireland for the first time. There are few greater honors in football than being chosen to lead your country and I know Conor and his family will be extremely proud, as they should be.” Be.

“Others were also at their best, including Trent Alexander-Arnold with England, Dominik Szoboszlai with Hungary and Luis Diaz with Colombia. Hopefully they and others will return with form and confidence, ready for the big challenges ahead.”

“As I said, this is a time when we will need every single member of the squad. We're all happy with the start to the season, with nine wins from ten games in all competitions, but that only makes sense. “We're hungrier to deliver more.

“We don’t want to be remembered as a team that flew out of the starting blocks and then faded away. We want to get stronger as the season progresses and consistently deliver great performances and great results. This is what we do.” will demand a lot from ourselves.