Jürgen Klopp praised Virgil van Dijk’s 3rd clean sheet in a row on Wednesday evening. The defender led Liverpool to an important Premier League win. According to his coach, the captain of the Dutch national team needed it.
For a long time, Liverpool had their hands full with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Until Van Dijk headed the redeeming opening goal against the ropes just twenty minutes before the end. While the captain of The Reds had been leading the team concentrated throughout the match. Klopp saw that too, “Virgil has had enough criticism lately, but his goal and his entire performance was just the boost he needed.”
“We all need that boost,” Klopp also knows. “Exactly in the week that his strongholder was chosen in the world team of the year, he gave his team a boost. Virgil did a great job. And that in a match that was very difficult for the defenders. He played very well.”
With a lot of space in his back, Van Dijk had to operate, but Big Virg did it with verve. “How the central defenders and midfielder Fabinho together controlled the area in our axis and neutralized counter-attacks in midfield was impressive. I really thought they did a really good job,” the German continues.
Liverpool kept a clean sheet in a league game for the fourth time in a row. And not entirely coincidentally in the period that Van Dijk returned to the team. Now Manchester United awaits. “A new challenge, but we are a real unit again. We do it all together. And this is Anfield, other things happen there,” Klopp concludes.
Cody Gakpo, Jordan Henderson, Joël Matip and Andrew Robertson left on the bench
Cody Gakpo was on the reserve bench at Liverpool on Wednesday night. He was passed by Jürgen Klopp for the first time after ten starts in a row. The coach opted for the Premier League game with Wolverhampton Wanderers for a vanguard with Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nuñez.
Klopp decided to only leave Gakpo for ninety minutes in the two lost away games against Brighton & Hove Albion. Last weekend, Gakpo was substituted in the game against Crystal Palace at 0-0 after missing a dot of a chance on the opening goal. Now it’s Jota’s turn, who plays against his old club. The Portuguese also played against Palace in the absence of Darwin Nuñez, but unlike his competitor, he will stand. Jordan Henderson, Joël Matip and Andrew Robertson are three other players who lose their place.
