The Netherlands defender does not often say the quiet part out loud. On Wednesday night in Istanbul, after Liverpool squandered two leads and fell 3-2 to Fenerbahce in the Champions League, he did.
“It’s definitely not sustainable,” Virgil van Dijk told BBC Sport, picking out the manner of the defeat as much as the result itself.
All three Fenerbahce goals came from set-pieces: a Mason Greenwood free-kick in the first half, an Archie Brown finish from a corner, and a 79th-minute Vedat Muriqi header from a long throw that settled the tie, according to Sky Sports. Trey Nyoni and Alexander Isak had each put Liverpool in front, only for the lead to last four minutes on both occasions.
Andoni Iraola, in his first season at Anfield, used sharper language than his captain. He described the goals his team had conceded as “cheap” and “messy”, and pointed to a free-kick, a corner and a long throw as the three ways his side were undone.
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A rare break from the measured tone
Van Dijk is not a captain who complains in public, which gave his choice of words extra weight. He told reporters Liverpool could not accept losing in the way they had, and said a side that had defended set-pieces well earlier in the season had switched off from their routines on the night.
Contract backdrop
The warning lands into an already live conversation about the club’s spine. Both Van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson Becker are out of contract at the end of the current campaign, and David Ornstein reported for The Athletic this week that Liverpool are not expected to clarify Van Dijk’s future until the early part of 2027, with the Dutchman turning 36 in July.
Alisson Becker, 34, had a clause in his existing deal activated last summer that tied him to Anfield for a further 12 months.
Palace next
The schedule leaves little room to settle. Van Dijk pointed straight at Sunday’s Premier League trip to Crystal Palace, calling it “massive” when asked how Liverpool could stop a third straight defeat from taking hold. Liverpool are fifth in the league after nine matches.
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