Virgil van Dijk has promised the Liverpools fans a team the club ‘can be proud of’ as the Reds begin a new era under Arne Slot.
Liverpool face Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday in the club’s first competitive home fixture under the new head coach. Slot was named as Jurgen Klopp’s successor in the summer after the German stepped down from his role as manager after nine years.
The Merseysiders opened their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win at Ipswich last weekend and will aim to continue that momentum when Brentford arrive at Anfield this weekend.
Addressing the club’s fans pre-game, Van Dijk outlined his belief in Liverpool’s ability to challenge on all fronts this season and said the supporters will have a team that they can be proud of in 2024/25.
“Of course, this is seen as something of a new era at Liverpool, with a new head coach in charge and a lot of new staff joining the club,” Van Dijk said in his programme notes ahead of facing Brentford.
“But some things will never change. The level of expectation will always be huge, for example, and as players we relish the challenge of living up to those expectations.
“And as captain, I accept responsibility for ensuring that our standards, in every game and in every training session, remain as high as possible. There can be no excuses from our side on that front.
“As I say, I believe in the talent within this group, and it is our job to make sure that we continue to work hard and to improve each and every day. We know that last season didn’t end as we wanted it to, but we also know that there were a lot of things throughout the campaign that we can learn from and hopefully use going forward, as we pursue our aims.
“Those aims haven’t changed, as far as I’m concerned. We want to be successful; we want to compete until the very last day in every competition that we play in. And yes, we know it will be very difficult to do that, but we will try.
“I can promise each and every one of you that we will give everything possible to deliver a successful season, a team you can be proud of.”
