virgil van dijk is refusing to rule Liverpool out of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris St Germain after the first leg ended in a 2-0 defeat in France on Wednesday evening ET. The Liverpool captain said the mood inside the dressing room has to be built on belief, fight, and a clear game plan before Tuesday’s return fixture at Anfield. He pointed to the club’s famous 2019 turnaround against Barcelona as proof that a second-leg recovery remains possible.
Virgil van Dijk: belief first, then the response
Van Dijk said Liverpool enter the tie with few outside voices giving them a chance, but he believes that is not enough to end the contest. He said the response must begin with the players, then be supported by the manager’s plan and by intensity from the first second to the last. He also said the team must show desire and fight, describing that as the minimum expected of a Liverpool player.
The Dutch defender said the first leg in France was tough, but he saw positives in the battling spirit the team showed. He added that there was little chance of Liverpool throwing in the towel at Anfield, which he believes can help the side salvage the tie. In his view, turning the match around will require everything to click at the same time, because the opposition are outstanding in every department.
Anfield and the scale of the task
PSG won the first leg 2-0, and Liverpool were fortunate not to concede more after the French side’s wastefulness kept the scoreline from growing. That result leaves Liverpool with a heavy challenge heading into the second leg, especially after a third straight loss in all competitions and a difficult run in a season already marked by setbacks.
Van Dijk linked the challenge to the 2019 comeback against Barcelona, when Liverpool overturned a three-goal deficit at Anfield to reach the final. He said the situations are similar in that many people would judge Liverpool as underdogs on paper, but he stressed that the starting point must be self-belief.
Arne Slot’s message and the mood around the squad
Arne Slot has also said Anfield can help inspire another famous European night, with the team having entered what he described as survival mode during the first leg. Liverpool’s passive display in France came four days after a 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final humiliation at Manchester City, and the scale of the response now expected is clear.
Van Dijk said the results have been unacceptable and stressed that the squad must recognise they need each other. He also said the moment hurts personally, and should hurt inside the dressing room too, as Liverpool try to reset before the return leg in ET time next week. The club will first look to a morale-boosting victory against Fulham on Saturday before turning fully to the decisive Champions League test, with virgil van dijk still framing the task as one that begins with belief and ends with a collective effort at Anfield.
