Van Dijk and Liverpool coach disagree after loss to Crystal Palace

(Dan Tri) - Captain Virgil Van Dijk called on Liverpool to add a striker after the defeat in the Community Shield on August 10 against Crystal Palace. However, this idea was quickly dismissed by coach Arne Slot.

The reigning Premier League champions suffered a bitter defeat on penalties in the traditional opening game of the new season at Wembley. Liverpool's bright spot in this match was the new recruits that coach Slot brought in during the summer transfer window.

Van Dijk believes Liverpool need more strikers to improve the quality of their attack before the start of the new season (Photo: Getty).

After just 20 minutes, Liverpool's three new recruits left a strong impression. In the 4th minute, Florian Wirtz assisted Ekitike to open the scoring, then Frimpong scored with a lob from a tight angle. However, the "Red Brigade" was still held to a 2-2 draw by Crystal Palace after 90 minutes, then lost 2-3 in the penalty shootout.

"I think there's always room for another striker to add to the attack. Let's see what the transfer market brings," Van Dijk told TalkSPORT after the defeat at Wembley on August 10.

Immediately, Coach Slot gave his favorite player some reminders and expressed his disagreement with adding a striker: "Stay in your own lane, do your job well before thinking about anything else.

The problem in attack is not really a concern in this match, but if you look at the number of goals we conceded in pre-season, it is a big problem,” the Dutch coach opposed the opinion of captain Van Dijk.

“Liverpool played well in this match. In fact, today we scored two goals, while the team only scored one goal in two matches against Crystal Palace last season. So my biggest concern at the moment is not the quality of the attack,” said coach Slot.

The 46-year-old strategist believes that Liverpool's biggest concern is not their attack but their defense. The proof is that the team has only kept a clean sheet in one match during the entire pre-season, which was a friendly win over Stoke City 5-0.

Coach Slot was satisfied with his players' performance despite losing to Crystal Palace on penalties (Photo: Getty).

The situation is made more difficult by the fact that Liverpool are facing a personnel crisis in defense. Center back Jarell Quansah has moved to Bayer Leverkusen, while Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez are absent due to injury.

Even Ryan Gravenberch, a player who can play as a central defender, had to sit out the game for personal reasons. In the context of the defense facing many problems, Liverpool surprised everyone by focusing all their efforts on the Alexander Isak deal.

Although Newcastle is asking for a transfer fee of up to nearly 150 million pounds, the "Red Brigade" is still determined to pursue the Swedish striker, despite the difficulties in defense that the team is facing at the moment.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/van-dijk-va-hlv-liverpool-bat-dong-quan-diem-sau-tran-thua-crystal-palace-20250811094707235.htm