Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has admitted the two toughest tests that the Reds will face this season as they battle for the Premier League title
Virgil van Dijk has confessed that Liverpool are up against his two toughest opponents in the Premier League title race. A strong start under new manager Arne Slot has put the Red a point off top spot after nine games.
Liverpool ended their title drought in 2020 but have twice had their heart broken by City, who finished ahead of the Reds even when Jurgen Klopp’s side had amassed over 90 points. In contrast to the era of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United and Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, any slip-up by Liverpool or City caused dismay and fuelled an intense rivalry.
Arsenal’s resurgence under Mikel Arteta sparked a three-horse race for the title last season until Liverpool fell behind. Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Van Dijk conceded that the new dynamic in the Premier League pushes him to be at his best.
READ MORE: Virgil van Dijk open to Liverpool career change and says ‘never say never’READ MORE: Cody Gakpo reveals true fastest player at Liverpool
When quizzed about his most challenging opponents, Van Dijk named Liverpool’s two title rivals. “I would say in this case then the City and Arsenal, especially from last year, it’s always tough against them,” Van Dijk told Ferdinand.
“You know that if you’re not focused for a second or slip up or whatever, you could get punished immediately.
“But that’s the beauty of the Premier League anyway, you play against good strikers week in, week out, and then you have this year’s Champions League back again. It’s only something I really enjoy and it keeps me on my toes. I love it.”
It may be a surprise that Van Dijk chose not to single out prolific City striker Erling Haaland as his toughest challenge. Instead, Arsenal and City force defenders to focus on more than one player. This was proven by Bukayo Saka’s opener for the Gunners against Liverpool last weekend, with Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville pointing fingers at Van Dijk for not backing up left-back Andy Robertson.
The Reds finished nine points adrift of champions City last term and managed just three wins in their final eight matches. There is early optimism this season under new boss Slot. Yet, all three title contenders have shown weaknesses, including Liverpool’s unexpected defeat to Nottingham Forest.
City’s defensive line has shown cracks, conceding the opening goal in almost half of their league games. Over in north London, Arsenal’s disciplinary issues and growing injury list have left the Gunners four points behind Liverpool, setting up a particularly compelling battle for supremacy in English football.
Listen to the full Rio Meets Virgil interview on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, presented by Qatar Airways.
