Van Dijk led players-only Liverpool meeting after run of 4 straight losses

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk revealed he led a players-only meeting at the start of the week after a run of four straight losses.

Van Dijk said “everyone was sad” after the 2-1 loss to Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, which came after defeats to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea before the international break.

So, following a debrief with manager Arne Slot, Liverpool's players got together at the training ground on Monday and centre-back Van Dijk delivered a message to his teammates.

Explaining that it “wasn’t a crisis meeting,” Van Dijk said: “I wanted to say some things. It’s not something I do after every game. After my meeting, everyone was happy.”

Liverpool responded by beating Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday, avoiding tying a 72-year club record for losses in a row.

“We had to stay calm and block out all the noise from the outside because that’s something you can’t control,” Van Dijk said.

“The only way to get out of a situation like that is to stay together, keep your mind on the task ahead, try to improve, keep the confidence, embrace the moment. They are all things that are easier to say than actually do but if you want to get out of it, you have to do it."

Liverpool has dropped to fourth in the Premier League, four points behind leader Arsenal, after eight games as it heads into a match at Brentford on Saturday.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer