Virgil van Dijk, playing for Liverpool: Winning should always be our goal

Liverpool will host Nottingham Forest at Anfield in the second round of the 2026/27 Premier League season. Dutch star Virgil van Dijk stated that the team is still working to adapt to the new tactical philosophy and lineup, but emphasized that playing for Liverpool means considering winning as a major objective.

In the first round of the Premier League, Liverpool came from behind to draw 2-2 with Newcastle United thanks to goals from Gakopo and Szoboszlai.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said, "It's a great pleasure to be back at Anfield for the new Premier League season, and I hope everyone is as excited as we are for this game. It's an honor to play in this amazing stadium, and we should never take it for granted. Even though this is my 10th season as a Liverpool player, I still feel the same excitement, and I can't wait to get back on the pitch."

“Last week’s game against Newcastle was very tough, but I think everyone saw a lot of good things about the team, both in terms of overall performance and intensity. But at the same time, we also know that there are still many areas that need improvement. That’s normal. When a team has a new manager with a whole new plan and philosophy, it always takes some time to implement those ideas in the game, but we must do it as soon as possible.”

“We work very hard every day in training because we all want to improve and become better, and we want to be more consistent. Winning should always be our goal at Liverpool. I think it goes without saying that last season was really tough, and for me, that performance was unacceptable. We could have done better; in fact, we were far better than we showed last season, and now we need to prove that.”

In their head-to-head record, Liverpool have won 2, drawn 1 and lost 1 of their last 5 matches against Nottingham Forest, with neither side holding a psychological advantage.

Van Dijk pointed out, "Without a doubt, this will be another tough game. We know how dangerous Nottingham Forest is, and if we want to get 3 points, we must give our best performance. To reiterate, we must start from the basics, including unity, hard work, desire, and commitment."

"If we have all of this and believe that we can do it, then we can create the best conditions for ourselves to demonstrate our strength and achieve the results that everyone wants to see."

Image source: Internet