Ahead of Liverpool's Premier League season opener, captain Virgil Van Dijk was interviewed by Men in Blazers host Roger Bennett at the club's training ground. He looks forward to Liverpool's new season, discussing leadership, life without Salah and Robertson, and his feelings about playing under new manager Arne Slot. Below is the first part of the interview.

Related reading:

Host: Great to have Virgil Van Dijk back.

Van Dijk: How are you?

Good. Virgil, I have to tell you, last time I was here, I shook your hand, and for the next few days, everyone who shook my hand thought I smelled amazing. That was your cologne.

Well, I'm just trying to be the best version of myself.

A new season is about to begin. This is your tenth season at Liverpool and your first under new manager Arne Slot. If you had to describe Slot's training sessions in one word, what would it be?

Football. High-intensity football. Yes, it's fantastic. There's plenty of content in the sessions—tactical drills, small-sided games. Yes, it feels enjoyable.

What's his core philosophy? What themes does he emphasize while bringing this aggressive style of football?

His intention is very clear: to win matches. Not just on match days, but in daily training too—to maintain high intensity, stay fit, keep running, and enjoy it.

I want to talk about the season ahead, but I need to mention last season first. Last season didn't go as you hoped, and you faced challenges beyond football itself. Now that you've had time to process it, what have you learned from it? What has it taught you?

I think the main thing is that we had a very difficult season to accept. It didn't meet the standards of Liverpool players, and it didn't meet Liverpool's standards. Clearly, in life, you can't always be perfect, and you can't always be at the top. But the key is how you respond, and that's up to us. It depends on what we give every day now, and we're starting fresh. Everything is open, four competitions await us, which is very exciting. So that's what we'll focus on entirely, and we must do much better than last year.

It's hard to believe this is your 13th season in the Premier League. So much experience. Are you still learning as much every season as you did when you started? Or does it begin to feel like a few raindrops in a vast ocean?

That's a good analogy. But no, I'm definitely still learning. Every year is different, football keeps evolving. You play with different players, and you face different opponents. You're always learning and adapting. But ultimately, the key is to consistently perform at your best. So far, it's been a fantastic journey.

Now the entire league is experiencing remarkable changes, especially here. This is your first season without the legendary player Salah. Mo's impact on the pitch is unique, and his departure off the pitch is equally significant. Since returning this summer, do you feel his absence? Or does football move too fast and ruthlessly, and you can only focus on the present and keep looking forward?

Nothing is permanent. Clearly, you mention Mo, and he deserves it, because I don't think we can replace a player the way he contributed to the club. I think that's actually a good thing. But the same applies to Robertson. Clearly, we had some very important players who were the foundation of our success, and that's life. You have to move forward, adapt, and others have to step up.

You mention Robertson, Mo... Konate is also gone. Friendship, connection, and leadership in the dressing room. As you enter a new season, do you feel extra burden of leadership? Or do you see others in the squad stepping up to fill that void?

It's still very early in the season, but the fact is you have to accept it. You can't run from responsibility, and you can't avoid wanting to take it on. So, it's up to others to step up.

Who do you think will step up?

I don't think it's good to name names. I think you'll gradually see it throughout the season. Let's see how the season unfolds. It's up to the players who clearly know they need to step up.

I want to talk about defense. Ibrahima Konate, your partner for most of the last five years, is gone, and you're building new chemistry. Jarell Quansah, 21, and Ronald Araujo. You've mentioned how chemistry between center-backs takes time, training, and needs to be developed. You mentioned that Jarell's English is better, but you and both of these players feel defensive synergy intuitively. Can you talk about how you're getting along with these two partners and the differences you currently feel between them?

As it happens, I've only been training systematically with them for about five days. But in any job or profession, when you work with new colleagues, it takes time. It takes time to get to know each other, especially on the pitch, to understand each other's strengths and weaknesses that need to be compensated for. Ultimately, the key is winning matches, hopefully by keeping more clean sheets. Clearly, as the last line of defense with the goalkeeper, we play an important role in that. But I've said for years that it's not just down to our defense; it's about how we defend as a team. The better we do it from the front, the easier it ultimately is for the back line. So, yes, let's keep working.

How long does it take to build that kind of chemistry?

Hopefully next week. But that's not really the issue; it requires stability. Both players you mentioned just need to stay fit, stay healthy, keep improving themselves, and continue learning what it takes to play every three or four days, especially from late September onwards. You have to embrace it, enjoy it, and that's my advice to them. Enjoy the pressure, because we all face pressure, and it's a good thing. And they showed very positive signs in the last 45 minutes—that was excellent. But now we need to do it consistently for the next 10 to 15 matches and then sustain it.

I want to talk about you. You're 35, you're still young, and you're still sitting here truly captivating me. But you entered the Premier League at 24. LeBron James talks about a growth mindset—how as he's aged, he's learned each season how to develop his strengths and improve his weaknesses as his body changes, and he's started to rely more on emotional decision-making and experience rather than the athleticism of early career. Do you feel you've changed your playing style in this league as you've gotten older?

Yes, I would say as a center-back, my personal opinion is that you become better with time and experience. In our position, once you make a mistake, you're punished immediately—the opponent scores or gets a great chance. So you just try to learn from those moments, and also learn from the good moments—winning trophies, how to handle it, how to deal with the team, how to handle defeats, unfortunately, whether that's losing a final or suffering injuries and so on. So you have to absorb all of that. My playing style has changed considerably over the years, I think. That's something I really enjoy.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

Situs web AF kini hadir! Lihat berita lengkap, komentar, detail pertandingan, dan statistik di komputer Anda. Kunjungi: www.allfootballapp.com