Jurgen Klopp’s exit in the summer means Liverpool will be looking for their first manager in almost a decade.
Jurgen Klopp’s shock announcement that he would be making an exit from Liverpool at the end of the season sent shockwaves across world football – but captain Virgil Van Dijk took the opportunity to make sure the squad worked even harder to give their boss a farewell to remember.
Klopp took over Liverpool back in 2015, and whilst he inherited a Reds side that had only won one major trophy in the previous decade via the Carabao Cup, he turned their fortunes on its head, currently boasting eight major titles including Premier League, Champions League, Club World Cup and FA Cup titles.
The German has been a father figure for many players who have come in and out of the side, and his announcement that he would be leaving back in February shocked the club’s support to the core; though their commitment to him was repaid with a Carabao Cup win at Wembley and a potential quadruple was on the cards.
Yet whilst they have since been knocked out of the FA Cup, endured a first-leg loss to Atalanta in the Europa League and have fallen behind in the Premier League title race, Van Dijk’s message to the players after the announcement was revealed by journalist Martin Hardy, and shows the camaraderie in the playing squad – with the Dutchman stepping up to the plate to demand more from his teammates.
Virgil Van Dijk: “We Are All Together” Message Delivered
The Liverpool captain wants to repay his boss with more silverware.
Speaking to Sky Sports’ Back Pages podcast, Hardy referred to an interview Van Dijk gave to highlight the togetherness in the squad, despite poor results. He said:
“Sunday Times magazine, about a week or two ago, did an interview with Virgil Van Dijk to take on from Trent Alexander-Arnold saying that they were told by the players [about Klopp’s exit] before training.
“As soon as training had finished, Virgil Van Dijk got on the Liverpool players’ WhatsApp group chat and said: ‘Nobody take things easy from here, step it up again. We’re all together. This doesn’t change anything at all’ – just to show how close those players are.
“I know they’ve had a bit of a wobble over the last week or so, but it does show you how committed they all are to try and end the season with success as Klopp leaves the club, having had such a distinguished time there.”
Liverpool Have Faltered In Recent Weeks
Jurgen Klopp’s fairytale ending hasn’t gone to plan at Liverpool
It would be unrealistic to expect a quadruple from Liverpool simply because Klopp announced he would be leaving the club in the summer, but the manner in which they have bowed out of competitions in the past month is disappointing, to say the least.
Starting with the 4-3 exit to Manchester United in the FA Cup, the Reds were simply too easy to carve open at the back and for a side that haven’t been at all clinical in recent weeks, United were able to take full advantage on home soil and end any hopes of a quadruple for the German.
Then, a 2-2 draw against the Red Devils in the league saw Liverpool further fail to capitalise against a poor United outfit – and the result means they have failed to win in six league games against Arsenal, Manchester City and United, which you cannot afford to do if you wish to become champions.
To add to their pain, a shock 3-0 home defeat in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final against Atalanta has all but killed any hopes of progressing to the semi-finals – and the cherry on the icing on the cake was the 1-0 home loss to Crystal Palace in the top-flight at the weekend, resulting in two successive Anfield defeats for the first time in 12 years.
