Liverpool suffered their second defeat of the season after they lost 3-1 against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday (4 February) at the Emirates Stadium.
BeINSports presenter Richard Keys has questioned the timing of Jurgen Klopp’s announcement of leaving the club and has made a bold claim after the game that Virgil van Dijk appears to have “already moved on”.
Van Dijk was involved in a calamitous defensive error with Alisson as Gabrielle Martinelli found the net to make it 2-1 in the second half.
“Van Dijk looked like he had already moved on,” said Keys after the game.
Keys says that the intensity from Liverpool was missing against the Gunners that we generally associate with them. For a game of this magnitude where the victory allowed Arsenal to crawl back into the title race, Keys feels that hardly any Reds player stepped up.
Over critical
Van Dijk, who is on £220k-per-week deal at Anfield, has made it clear that his heart lies with Liverpool irrespective of Klopp’s decision.
Liverpool can end up winning four trophies this season including the Premier League, and one defeat, no matter how important it is, doesn’t make any difference.
It is an intense title race and all three teams are capable of winning. It’s unthinkable that Liverpool would go unbeaten in a season, and odd setbacks are bound to happen.
To be fair, the Reds gradually improved as the game went on, and they looked like the better team of the two at the start of the second half. But a costly error at the back gave Arsenal the lead almost against the run of play.
It’s unfair to question Van Dijk’s loyalty and commitment to the game. He is not only the leader of this side, but he is vital to Liverpool’s success this season.
Liverpool will play Burnley next Saturday at Anfield, and Klopp will be hoping for a strong response.
