Virgil van Dijk has admitted his performances have been rightly criticised this season, with the Liverpool star acknowledging he has dipped below his usual high standards.
The Dutch international has been a mainstay of the Liverpool defence since joining the club from Southampton in a £75million deal back in January 2018.
Van Dijk’s performances were crucial to helping Liverpool to win the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League one year later.
The 31-year-old has largely received plaudits during his time at Anfield having been named as PFA Player of the Year in 2019, while also making the Team of the Year on three occasions.
Criticism has been aimed at Van Dijk this campaign amid Liverpool’s underwhelming season, which sees the Reds lying 22 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Speaking to The Times, Van Dijk admitted his performances have warranted criticism, with the defender acknowledging he has been inconsistent.
‘No one is immune to criticism, if someone said that, they are lying, Van Dijk said. ‘But when the criticism is there and you know it is right, the only thing you can do is keep your head down and focus on improving.
‘I know my performance has been going like the team has been going, up and down.
‘I know I’m one of the players who is looked at, that I set a high standard over the last five years that it’s normal to be criticised. The only thing I can do is block the noise out and focus on how I deal with certain situations to be better.
‘Over the past five years, excluding the year of my injury, I’ve been playing every three or four days to such a consistent level.
‘I’m trying to get back to that and I will get back to it.’
Van Dijk, who has played 36 matches for Liverpool this season, will expect to line-up against Tottenham on Sunday.
The match will be key in the race for European football as Liverpool seek to end a difficult campaign on a high.
A victory for Liverpool at Anfield would take the Reds above Tottenham and into a Europa League qualification spot.
SOURCE: dailymail.co.uk
