Virgil van Dijk publicly blamed Liverpool team-mate for dropped points – ‘We’re disappointed’…

Virgil van Dijk publicly criticized a Liverpool teammate for the dropped points – ‘We’re disappointed’

Virgil van Dijk directed blame at one of his Liverpool teammates following the loss of crucial points.

Liverpool faced a frustrating evening in their recent encounter with Aston Villa, prompting Virgil van Dijk to publicly address a mistake made by one of his teammates.

The Liverpool captain, Virgil van Dijk, attributed the blame to one of his teammates after the Reds were unable to secure a victory in their last match against Aston Villa. Liverpool will host Unai Emery’s team at Anfield this weekend as they aim to get their league season back on track.

In February, Mohamed Salah put Arne Slot’s team ahead at Villa Park, but the home side quickly responded with a rapid double from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins before halftime. Trent Alexander-Arnold helped Liverpool equalize shortly after the hour mark, but substitute Darwin Nunez wasted Liverpool’s best opportunity to secure three points.

The striker was presented with a prime chance just minutes after coming onto the field as Dominik Szoboszlai managed to break through Villa’s defense. Szoboszlai attracted Emi Martinez’s attention before passing across the box, leaving Nunez with an open goal just six yards out, but the Uruguayan shot over the crossbar.

Liverpool had to settle for a draw at full-time, maintaining their lead at the top of the table at eight points. However, Van Dijk believed that the Reds had let two points slip away, mentioning Nunez’s miss during his post-match interview.

“We are a bit disappointed but we fight. We had chances to win the game, took a bit of a risk at the end – so it got more open at times,” Van Dijk stated.

“In possession, we performed quite well, creating good opportunities to score the second. It was disappointing to concede from a set-piece. We tried everything, and unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for three points.

We should have scored 3-2, but credit goes to Aston Villa for making it quite challenging. We have another tough match this weekend, followed by a game against Newcastle. Our current focus is on Man City, which we know will be a very difficult game. We have done everything possible to win matches, and that will be our focus on Sunday.

Liverpool manager Slot also expressed his frustrations with Nunez following the match, but his criticism was aimed at the striker’s work rate after his glaring miss. The manager stated that he had no problem with the miss itself but felt that Nunez allowed it to impact his overall performance.

“It’s not just about the chance but the 20 minutes that followed, which I will discuss with Darwin,” Slot explained. “Yes, I will remind him that he still has a significant role to play.

I will emphasize that while it’s acceptable to miss a chance, it’s not acceptable to neglect your work rate.

“That’s the reality of being a striker; you will miss opportunities and score some. It’s part of the role of a No.9 to miss when people expect you to score. However, it’s not part of a No.9’s responsibilities to decrease their work rate. That’s a topic we need to address.”

He continued: “I can accept missed opportunities, but what I find harder to accept is his attitude following the chance. It seemed to weigh heavily on his mind; he wasn’t the usual Darwin who puts in maximum effort to support the team. He was too upset about the miss.

“I firmly believe that it’s always best to adopt Wata’s (Wataru Endo) mindset. Throughout the season, he doesn’t complain, he keeps pushing forward, and whenever we need him, he’s ready. That’s a rare quality, and not many players can maintain that level of commitment.”

Nunez had to accept a diminished role during his only season under Slot, making just eight starts in 30 league appearances and netting five goals. The 26-year-old was transferred to Al-Hilal for an initial fee of £46 million during the summer.

Liverpool aims to capitalize on their opportunities against Villa this time as the defending champions seek to break their four-match losing streak in the Premier League.

Nevertheless, the Reds face a challenging opponent in Villa, who have secured victories in their last four league games following a sluggish beginning to the season.