Before the Reds take on LASK in the Europa League group stage, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp and skipper Virgil van Dijk spoke.
Despite their regret at not being selected for the Champions League, Jürgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk have both pledged that Liverpool will treat the Europa League seriously this season, stressing that nothing can be taken for granted.
What took place?
Although Liverpool manager Klopp steadfastly refused to provide any information regarding his starting lineup for the match against LASK in Austria, the presence of Van Dijk at the news conference would indicate that the Reds captain would be playing.
As the Europa League begins on Thursday, both Van Dijk and Klopp were eager to emphasize how seriously they were taking the match. This served as a reminder of how significant the European competition is.
As things stand, Liverpool is the clear favorite to take home the Champions League trophy at the end of the current campaign having not missed it since Jurgen Klopp took over.
What was said?
In his press conference, Klopp stated, “We are not haughty.” “We want to participate and succeed here. LASK is incredibly composed, knows exactly how to play the game, makes excellent use of the wings, and executes set-pieces proficiently. We need to be ready.
We’re not here to provide opportunities; we’re here to compete. Absolutely no team news information for you.
We wanted to play in the Champions League, but we only belonged in the Europa League, according to Van Dijk. “We want to win it, but victory does not come easily.
Since the first day of preseason, we have been putting in a lot of effort. We are getting new players and developing young talents. There is a lot of potential, and the outcomes are promising. Every game will be challenging. But it’s undeniably a thrilling period right now.
In response to a question regarding Jarell Quansah, Van Dijk stated: “The time he played [against Wolves], he was amazing. I was thrilled to see it and quite pleased. He should consider it just the beginning and keep moving forward because he is on a fantastic squad and will hopefully play a significant role both now and in the future.
Why does that matter?
Liverpool is now playing in the Europa League, which is not the league it intended to be in. It might as well make a strong effort to prevail.
Given that he was assigned media duties, it indicates that Van Dijk will be participating right away, which could make sense given that he has missed a few Premier League games due to his ban.
However, it will be intriguing to observe just how strong Liverpool’s lineup is overall. Given that the opponent is defeatable, there ought to be room for a variety of adjustments.