Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk dispels rumours of squad disharmony, warns next generation of social media criticism
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Updated 03/02/2026 at 22:16 GMT
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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has insisted that there is no disharmony in the dressing room amid swirling speculation on social media, with the Dutchman expressing his concern over how the next generation will handle the increased level of scrutiny that comes with inconsistent results. Premier League champions Liverpool ended a five-game winless league run against Newcastle last weekend.
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Virgil van Dijk has brushed aside claims of squad disharmony at Anfield, adding that the increased scrutiny surrounding issues such as team morale could prove a "very big challenge" for the next generation of players.
Liverpool ended a five-game winless run in the Premier League with the 4-1 thrashing of Newcastle last Saturday, easing the pressure on Arne Slot following the dispiriting late reverse at Bournemouth seven days earlier.
The Reds have made light work of reaching the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, while they are still competing in the FA Cup, with their fourth-round home tie against Brighton & Hove Albion on February 14 live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The morale-boosting victory over The Magpies maintained Liverpool's push to qualify for next season's Champions League but they currently sit in sixth place - behind Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea in pursuit of the coveted spots. Next up they face Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
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The focus remains on Slot, but Van Dijk said: "It's like us players as well - if you don't perform you get criticism and that's part and parcel of the game.
"We have to perform. That's what we didn't do on a consistent basis but we speak about that every three or four days, unfortunately.
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"On Saturday, it was a good performance and the same for midweek [against Qarabag]. Now it's down to us to work this week on Man City and do that again."
Pressed on whether Slot has plenty of credit in reserve having won the title last season, Van Dijk added: "Who gives him the disrespect? That's the question. Is the disrespect being given by people that we shouldn't value their disrespect?
"I can also think about players being disrespected and who disrespects the players? Is that someone you value, is it a significant show of disrespect or someone you can just let slide and instead just focus on the task ahead to be successful as a Liverpool player? That's the responsibility we speak about every three or four days.
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"If you're going to read all that stuff [on social media], one week you could be the hero and the next week the villain. I spoke last week about how [much] worse and difficult it's getting every year. For the next generation it will be a very big challenge.
"Every era has its own challenges and that part of outside the game will be a big challenge for the next generation and it's already a challenge for this generation."
Liverpool moved to strengthen their defensive options on deadline day, following the signing Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes in a ÂŁ60 million deal.
The France Under-21 international will join the Merseyside club on July 1 with the transfer representing the latest long-term contract being offered to a player aged 23 or under.
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Last summer, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkez were signed for big money as part of a ÂŁ450m rebuild that was headlined by Alexander Isak's arrival from Newcastle.
The expectation back then was that Liverpool would mount a serious title defence and that viewpoint was only strengthened following five straight Premier League wins at the start of the campaign.
But Liverpool's challenge has been derailed by seven league defeats over autumn and winter.
Van Dijk continued: "The matter of fact is we are Premier League champions and we have not been good enough on a consistent basis. That's just a fact. The criticism comes and that's something we just have to accept. We just have to keep going.
"I don't think there has been any question about [togetherness] internally. I don't think there's any disharmony. There are obviously challenges that happen and everyone is dealing with certain situations in a different way.
"It's also about dealing with it together and how we are going to fix it and change things around.
"That's something that makes you stronger as a team and if you come out of it like we should do -hopefully as we have the quality - then I think it can only improve you as a team and as a player as well."
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