Virgil van Dijk praised Liverpool’s “calm” reaction after falling behind AC Milan early in their Champions League opener, a 3-1 victory.Last Saturday, Liverpool’s captain, Virgil van Dijk, conceded that his team appeared to be unprepared in their shocking 1-0 Premier League home loss to Nottingham Forest. Even after Milan took the lead through Christian Pulisic in the opening three minutes of the match at the San Siro, the center back from the Netherlands was worried.
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A relief for the defender came when Liverpool kept to manager Arne Slot’s strategy and scored twice in quick succession—once through Ibrahima Konate to tie the game and again through Van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai to seal the deal. Van Dijk responded, “No, not after three minutes,” when asked if that was the ideal reaction to the Forest game. Even after just three minutes, I can already see how excellent it was. We kept our cool and played according to our game plan instead of frantically chasing goals like we did in the final twenty to thirty minutes of the previous game, when it seemed like we could keep playing for an hour and still not score.
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After Liverpool won their first three games under Slot without allowing a goal, Van Dijk, 33, claimed he was never concerned about the criticism that followed with the loss to Forest. “Who does it negatively impact? “What are your options regarding the exterior?” he inquired.The outside is beyond your control. You witnessed our one and only impact on the pitch. We need to remain composed because if we don’t deliver today and tomorrow, pressure will come from outside. I play a significant role in it, and the manager does as well; but, ultimately, it is up to the players to demonstrate it on the field.
Even though Slot’s decision to start the season with an almost unchanged lineup had drawn criticism, he stuck with it against Milan, making only two substitutions. One of Slot’s changes, Cody Gakpo, shocked everyone in his season debut with a powerful performance evoking memories of his 2024 Euro performance with the Netherlands.
“I don’t think you should forget that last year he played very good games as well,” Van Dijk added. I’ve seen his potential, but it takes patience to watch someone like Lucho (Luis Diaz) perform effectively in a weekly game. You could see he could contribute with crosses and assists, and we need everyone to play to their potential. This emphasized how much we rely on everyone.”Atypical” nine-goal The Bayern win was just the beginning, according to Kompany.According to Bayern coach Vincent Kompany, Tuesday’s 9-2 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League opening was unique, but the Bavarians still only came away with three points. With striker Harry Kane scoring four goals in a match with the second-biggest winning margin in the competition’s history, Kompany had a successful Champions League debut as coach, marking his second season at Bayern.
According to Kompany, “It is about three points” during a press conference. The nine goals were a little out of the ordinary, but we had a blast. There was a positive vibe, and the squad played with the proper attitude. We have just played a single game so far. The focus has shifted to the following game, the continuation.Kompany did not have it easy. His team was up 3-0 at halftime, but they let two goals in two minutes after the break as the Croats attempted to rally. We let in two goals while scoring nine. We were too slow and gave up those goals. The Belgian did say that they remained cool and enjoyed themselves that night.The record for most goals scored by an English player in the Champions League was broken by Kane, who scored four. On Saturday, the England captain scored three goals in a Bundsliga match against Holstein Kiel. Kompany remarked, “He is motivated and for me as a coach it is easier because if you have a top player who is himself so motivated it makes things so much easier.” As a result, things become lot simpler for the coach. He heads the national squad and is a leader by nature. His teammates respect him because they know they must perform under pressure.