Virgil van Dijk has expressed his belief that Liverpool “gave up” during their FA Cup loss to Manchester City, extending an apology to fans for the disappointing performance that increases the scrutiny on manager Arne Slot.
The Liverpool captain, visibly disheartened, provided a candid evaluation of the team’s most significant defeat under Slot’s leadership. He acknowledged the challenge of bouncing back for the upcoming Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
Van Dijk’s comments about the team’s lack of resilience at the Etihad Stadium, where they conceded four goals in a span of 18 minutes around halftime, cast a shadow over Slot’s efforts to revive Liverpool’s season. This defeat marks the 15th loss across all competitions for the Premier League champions, excluding the Community Shield.
“It’s on us,” Van Dijk stated. “The fans came out to support us, and I can only express my apologies for the performance we delivered, particularly in the second half. It’s been a mentally challenging season overall.”
He further elaborated, “You step out of the dressing room with the intention of scoring and turning the game around, but the opposite occurred. Coming back from a 3-0 deficit is incredibly tough, especially here. We shouldn’t have given up, and perhaps that’s what happened at a certain point. In the second half, we didn’t match the required intensity or win the necessary challenges. Losing 4-0 is hard to bear.”
Van Dijk also conceded a penalty in the 37th minute, which shifted the momentum of the FA Cup quarter-final. This marked the fourth penalty he has given away this season, despite having previously conceded only four in his prior 319 appearances for the club. He recognized that the team had disappointed both Slot and the supporters with their subsequent downturn.
Regarding Slot, he mentioned, “It’s a collective issue, isn’t it? He holds responsibility as the manager, but we are the ones who need to perform on the pitch. I’ve reiterated this too many times. We’ve let down our fans, ourselves, and the manager. Until the penalty, we might have been okay, but the way we played, especially in the second half, must be painful for everyone. It certainly hurts me. Our focus now shifts to the away match in Paris, but processing this defeat will be difficult.”
In his post-match reflections, Van Dijk felt too disheartened to send a strong message ahead of the trip to Paris, stating that it would be “very difficult, very difficult” for Liverpool to muster the energy at Parc des Princes. “However, we have a responsibility, not only to ourselves but especially to the fans. If we want to salvage something from this season, we must strive to achieve something special in our next three matches,” he added.
Adding to the concerns for Slot, Van Dijk pointed out a current lack of unity within the team, which has been a cornerstone of Liverpool’s success in previous years. “The quality is certainly there,” he affirmed. “Having played for Liverpool for many years, I know that togetherness has always been key. Right now, we seem to be in a transitional phase, and we need to rediscover that. It becomes challenging to perform every three days without consistent unity—showing that togetherness on the pitch for over 90 minutes multiple times a week is difficult.”
