Van Dijk on Sunderland Challenge: “We Need to Show Some Consistency”

Liverpool managed to just maybe start to dig their way out of the hole inconsistency and poor results has put them in this season with Sunday’s 2-0 victory over a struggling West Ham, but captain Virgil van Dijk knows that won’t matter much in isolation.

One good result doesn’t salvage a season that has seen countless poor ones. What’s needed now is for this group to prove they have what it takes to put a run together and to show some consistency both in performances and results in the coming weeks.

“Whether you are in a good moment or not-so-good moment, it always comes back to the same things: hard work and togetherness,” Van Dijk said in his pre-match notes. “If you give everything and you do it as a team, the rewards will come sooner or later.

“They came on Sunday, but it is only one game, and we know we need to follow it up and show some consistency. We know that things haven’t been so good for us recently, but Sunday was extremely welcome, in terms of both the result and the performance.”

While the difficult results have been, well, difficult for everyone, it’s been noteworthy that when games kick off the supporters have continued to support the club, players, and manager—as they did on Sunday, which Van Dijk said helped the players.

On paper, Sunderland provide a tougher test, the newly promoted side exceeding expectations and solidly in the top half of the table a point ahead of the Reds. If the fans do their part, though, and the players do theirs again, hopefully good things will follow.

“I have to say, too, that the support at the weekend was fantastic,” the Liverpool captain added. “We know we have let ourselves down in recent weeks, but the way you guys have stuck with us is both extremely important and hugely appreciated.

“We will need you again this evening as we take on a Sunderland team that is enjoying a very good season following promotion from the Championship. We need to be ready to follow up what we did at West Ham, to stay humble, and to go again.“