Virgil Van Dijk on how Premier League title fate could be decided
Virgil Van Dijk on how Premier League title fate could be decided. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has warned his teammates that injuries and suspensions could prove crucial when it comes to deciding the fate of the Premier League title.
The Reds sit top of the standings, just two points ahead of Chelsea having played one game fewer, but must now prepare to do without left-back Andy Robertson, who was sent off early in the 2-2 draw with Fulham.
Robertson’s suspension leaves Liverpool short at the back, with Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley both out injured and Kostas Tsimikas only just returning from his own fitness problem, and Van Dijk admitted periods like this could go a long way to deciding which team wins the Premier League when all is said and done.
Speaking ahead of the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Southampton in midweek, Van Dijk said:
“Let’s see what happens on Wednesday.
“I don’t know, maybe the manager has to be creative.
“The injuries that are there we have to accept and deal with, unfortunate of course, but hopefully things will change and players will come back as soon as possible in the best way.
“It has been mentioned many times already, injuries are piling up, you see that with different teams, and the amount of games we play. Then injuries are bound to happen and that could change the quality of games as well. But what [Manchester City] have been going through with injuries and inconsistent games, going up and down, we’ve been there as well and it’s not an easy place to get out of and it’s not an easy place to be in.
“I won’t speak about them because I don’t focus on them but I know how difficult it is to go through that and hopefully we don’t go through it but we also have the injuries.
“Whether that is because of the load and all the games, you don’t know, but obviously it plays a big part because it takes a lot of your body, not only playing the game but the travelling, flying up and down the world, but that is football for 2024/25 so you have to deal with it.”
