Virgil van Dijk isn’t getting carried away after Liverpool leapfrogged both Arsenal and Manchester City to reach the Premier League summit as a result of their win at Wolves
Virgil van Dijk reckons Liverpool will not know for sure whether they are in the title race until the end of the year.
The Reds have enjoyed a fine start to the season under new head coach Arne Slot. The Dutchman has won five of his six league matches at the helm with Liverpool now top of the Premier League after beating Wolves 2-1 at the weekend.
Much of the talk surrounding the title has been dominated by Arsenal and Manchester City after their epic battle for the crown last year. But if the early weeks of the campaign are anything to go by, then Liverpool are also right in the mix.
But despite their strong form, Van Dijk isn’t getting carried away with the Netherlands defender pinpointing December as a make-or-break period.
He said at the weekend: “We have a very good squad – a mixture of experience and talent – and players who are at a very good stage of their career. So it is good to see the way we are playing. Mo [Mohamed Salah] was many times in the box and heading balls away and stuff and that is the kind of commitment we need from everyone. So far, so good. But it is only one game and we all realise that. Now we focus on the Champions League.
“Do I pay attention to the table now? No. December is always a crucial month. The teams who go through that well, winning games and having no injuries, have a big chance to be successful. Let’s see.”
Van Dijk’s viewpoint is similar to that of Slot, who said before the weekend that Liverpool’s title credentials would only become clear after they’d played everyone once.
He echoed those sentiments on Saturday night when Liverpool leapfrogged Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the table, saying: “Everyone is realistic enough, all the players they understand that six games into the season doesn’t give you a realistic view on the league table,” Slot said. “That is more like 19 games that you can feel, ‘Right, where are we?’.
“But it helps if you get some good results, especially if you bring in a new manager and being a successor of such a successful one. Everybody understands that if we’d have lost four or five of these first six fixtures life would have been a bit different to how it is now.”
Liverpool host Bologna in the Champions League on Wednesday night before travelling to Crystal Palace next weekend.
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