MANCHESTER — Virgil van Dijk believes Liverpool are in the Premier League title race and Manchester City believe that Jurgen Klopp’s side, and others, are back.
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Following their 1-1 draw at Manchester City on Saturday, Liverpool became the first team in 24 attempts to not lose at the Etihad Stadium as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s late equalizer grabbed a big point which keeps them just one point behind the reigning Premier League champs and in the race for top spot after a third of the season.
After finishing fifth last season as they surged towards the finish line after an awful start and they’ve now lost just one of their last 24 Premier League games, are Liverpool back where they belong? Do they believe they will be fighting Manchester City all the way for the Premier League title this season?
Consistency is key as title contenders gather
“All of the seasons when we’ve been close or won the league, we didn’t get carried away,” Virgil van Dijk told reporters in the tunnel after the game. “We take it game-by-game. That is the motivation and the mindset we should have. We make it no secret, we want to challenge for everything that we are competing in. This year is looking consistent. That is something we missed last year. We are in November and now we have a very busy period coming up. Difficult games ahead of us and anything can happen. If we keep that consistency and don’t get any injuries and see what the season brings. We have to be confident and give it everything that we have and enjoy it as well. Especially with the disappointment we had last year.”
Man City’s start to the season (nine wins, two defeats and two draws from their first 13 games) suggests they won’t run away with the title this season.
City playmaker Bernardo Silva, who was excellent in his deeper central role on Saturday, knew Liverpool would be back and he sees the title race being between four teams this season as City try and win four in a row.
“We expected Liverpool to come back after a tough season for them last year. We knew their energy would be back so it is going to be tough,” Silva explained. “Not just Liverpool but Arsenal, Tottenham as well, they are strong. But we are also ready to fight… We enjoy it [battles against Liverpool] more when we win. Of course it is nice for the Premier League and the fans and the competition that it is this tight, that there is this emotion. You have four teams that are very close to each other. We are going to try and do our best to get a little bit of distance because last season wasn’t that nice to be that far behind Arsenal. This season we want to try and keep closer to the top so when we get to February and March we are in the discussion again to win the Premier League.”
New dimension and a secret weapon?
Van Dijk was asked in-depth about Alexander-Arnold’s role in this team as a hybrid right-back, central midfielder and if that tactical tweak is something which can give Liverpool a new dimension as they try to progress and evolve to get back into a title race with Manchester City.
“I think it is about mixing it up. We started doing it since March this year. I think we had a very good run then, where we did well,” Van Dijk said. “We are still learning, he [Alexander-Arnold] is still learning, as a team we are still adapting in certain situations. I think City is very good in that case. They have a proper plan and I think we’re getting better at that as well. It is a new dimension, like you said. We are still working on it and I think it will only benefit us.”
Is Alexander-Arnold’s future in midfield?
“That is for the coaches that work with him. I think at the moment he is playing just fine where he is right now,” Van Dijk said. “He has the freedom to mix it up and he has to do that because teams are working it out at times so he has to be able to switch from being on the outside to the inside as well. I think it is a good learning curve for him as well and I think today he did that well. He played against one of the most in-form wingers as well. To be important with the goal and certain interceptions is very important.”
Point at City could be the reference point
Klopp hailed the point at City, in a game where Liverpool weren’t at their best in the first half but hung in there and improved in the second half after making tactical tweaks to grab a point. Is it a big step in the right direction for this new-look Liverpool side?
“Hopefully it is a very big point. I think there is a much bigger improvement in last years result,” Van Dijk smiled, remembering the 4-1 hammering they suffered at the Etihad in April. “The way we reacted to being 1-0 down, I think that showed we are in a good way and I think overall if you look at the result everyone should be happy with it because we had good chances, they had good opportunities at times. Time to move on and get ready for the next game.”
Anybody who watched Liverpool’s 1-1 draw on Saturday could see they’re still working through a new playing style and philosophy but it is clear they’re figuring it out quickly and they’ve closed the gap to Manchester City.
