Arne Slot says defending the Premier League title is “impossible” as Liverpool battle a “negative balance.” Additionally, Virgil van Dijk broke a club record to secure three points at Sunderland.
Arne Slot is not a manager prone to public defeatism. Nevertheless, for a side that hoisted the Premier League trophy just nine months ago, the current landscape is unrecognisable.
A ten-point gap over the chasing pack has transformed into a fifteen-point deficit behind Arsenal. The goal is no longer glory. Instead, it is survival among Europe’s elite.
Yet, as the defending champions navigate a season defined by a “negative balance” and a treatment room that never seems to empty. One constant remains.
Virgil van Dijk, the club’s 34-year-old captain, continues to defy both the ageing process and the tactical rot threatening to sink Liverpool’s Champions League ambitions.
The pillar of durability
Wednesday’s 1-0 victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light served as a microcosm of the Reds’ campaign. It was gritty and expensive in terms of fitness. Ultimately, it depended on the sheer presence of their No. 4.
Van Dijk did more than just head home the winner on Wearside. With that clinical second-half header, he officially overtook Sami Hyypiä to become the highest-scoring defender in Liverpool’s modern history.
By surpassing the legendary Finn’s tally, Van Dijk cemented his status as the squad’s most lethal attacking outlet from the back.
His fourth goal of the season proves that while the strikers might be searching for rhythm, the captain remains the most reliable source of goals in high-stakes moments.
The statistics highlight a staggering reliance. According to Sofascore, Van Dijk has started all 26 Premier League matches this season, clocking 2,340 minutes. He has appeared in 36 out of a possible 38 games. This is a workload that Slot admits is vital, if not entirely sustainable.
“Vital, of course,” Slot said during his pre-match press conference on Friday morning. “Not even looking at the amount of options we have at centre-back because if he’s not playing, there are no options left. The same for Ibou [Konate], by the way, although Joe [Gomez] is coming back now.”
Slot was quick to point out that Van Dijk’s longevity is the result of obsession rather than luck. “[Virgil] has been fit every single time and I’ve said this before, how big of an accomplishment that is for a player of his ‘age’ because he’s not the youngest anymore, [but he] plays every three days. That’s not a coincidence because if I look at how much work he puts in on a daily basis to recover, to be ready for the next [game] immediately when the game finishes until the moment the next game starts.”
A season of ‘impossible’ odds
Despite the captain’s individual brilliance averaging 7.9 clearances per game and winning 76% of his aerial duels. The collective unit is struggling however.
Slot has been blunt about the reasons why a title defense became “impossible” this year. The departure of rhythm, coupled with a record-shattering £125 million injury to Alexander Isak, has left the Reds vulnerable.
“I’ve said before it’s always harder to stay fit in this season where you [as a] team and he as well have had so many setbacks,” Slot admitted.
“It tells you a lot about what he does off the pitch in recovery, but definitely also about his mental strength that he’s able to stay with the team and not only stay with the team. Moreover, he brings in very good performances and leads the team, as he always does on and off the pitch, by example. That is what he did on Wednesday night in Sunderland.”
The “setbacks” are not just physical. A sharp decline in Mohamed Salah’s clinical output has left Liverpool searching for goals in the dark. This lack of firepower has placed an even greater emphasis on Van Dijk’s offensive contributions at set-pieces.
For Slot, these moments are the difference between a Champions League berth and a mid-table finish.
“It’s vital,” Slot added. “He scored one against Bournemouth, scored one now and has already scored a few important goals for us this season and definitely last season as well. He’s a big threat in the air offensively, and offensively he is really important for us not to concede.”
The goal also highlighted a quiet tactical revolution. Liverpool, who previously favoured outswinging corners, have pivoted to a high-intensity “in swinging” approach. In their last four games, their percentage of inswingers shot up to 82.5 per cent.
“Usually we concede one, but tonight we could score and that’s the difference for us in this game,” Slot noted in his post match press conference after Sunderland. This shift is a direct response to the “negative balance” of a defence that has conceded 14 goals from set-pieces. Indeed, this is the highest in the league.
The cost of consistency
But consistency comes at a price. The win at Sunderland saw Wataru Endo, the team’s makeshift solution to a never-ending right-back crisis, stretchered off with an ankle injury. It was another blow to a squad already missing Isak’s goal-scoring threat. Additionally, they are also dealing with uncharacteristic errors from a fatigued backline.
Van Dijk, ever the diplomat, described the victory as “a great win,” but his actions behind the scenes suggest a man aware that the clock is ticking.
His public plea for Ibou Konate to extend his stay at Anfield hints at a captain desperate to maintain some semblance of continuity before his own final chapters are written.
As Liverpool prepare to face Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, the pressure is mounting. Slot will be keen to see that set-piece balance improve further. Above all, he will be praying for the continued health of his captain.
In a season where everything else has broken, Van Dijk remains the only thing that works.
