Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has called for a swift response from the team following their penalty shootout loss to Crystal Palace in the FA Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.
The Reds twice took the lead through debut goals from new signings Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong, but were pegged back to a 2-2 draw before losing on penalties.
Speaking after the match, Van Dijk said:
“Obviously mixed [emotions]. First of all, disappointed that we didn’t win the Community Shield. That’s what we came here for. There were opportunities to do so, opportunities to avoid it as well. But the reality is, today we’re losing.”
The defender stressed the importance of moving on quickly as Liverpool prepares to begin their Premier League title defence against AFC Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday.
“It’s the end of our pre-season today as well, so we have to be ready now, work our socks off to be ready for Bournemouth,” he said.
Van Dijk acknowledged the experience within the squad and the need to improve to retain their league crown.
“We all have plenty of experience, winning and losing. What kind of impact it should have is that we realise we need a couple of things that we have to improve as a team if we want to retain the title, which obviously will be a very big job in itself.”
Looking ahead, the captain welcomed the chance to play in front of the home fans for the new season opener.
“We have a recovery day tomorrow, and then we fully focus on Bournemouth, which will be a very tough game. But I’m really looking forward to the start of the Premier League. Friday at home with our fans, we know it’s going to be emotional, obviously, with everything that is going on and happened. But I’m really looking forward to it.”
Van Dijk was also pleased to see the positive impact of the club’s summer signings.
“It’s never easy to come from a different country, and I think he has settled in pretty well. With his goal, it was good to see, it was important and hopefully many more to come.”
Liverpool will now look to build on the encouraging moments from the Community Shield as they prepare for their Premier League campaign opener.
