Van Dijk Endorses Slot’s ‘Brave’ and ‘Right’ Tactical Approach

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk stated that manager Arne Slot’s decision to instruct the team to play with an aggressive, risk-taking approach, despite being reduced to 10 men early in Saturday’s match against Fulham, was both “brave” and “right.” Andy Robertson was sent off after only 17 minutes, at which point the score stood at 1-0 in favour of the Cottagers. Nevertheless, the Reds maintained 61% possession and registered 16 shots, ultimately recovering from two deficits to secure a point. “There was so much time left on the clock and we have the quality to punish opponents,” Van Dijk commented after the game. He added, “Obviously it was a lot more difficult than it already was but we have to keep going.” “We tried everything. We could have taken all three points if I’m completely honest but it is what it is. Now we have to focus on Wednesday,” Van Dijk stated. He further remarked, “The will to keep going and the resilience was a good sign. We had to take a little bit of risks to get the result so at times the pitch was wide open.” “It was always going to be a tough game but with 10 men it was even more of a tough game and we move on and focus on the next one,” he continued. Concluding his remarks, Van Dijk explained, “We don’t want to be in a situation where you take that much risk but if you’re 1-0 or 2-1 down you have to. It’s a brave thing to do but I think it was the right thing to do because we have the quality to hurt opponents even with 10 men. It’s still a little bit of a risk but he got the reward for it.”