Virgil van Dijk: “Manchester City are not going to win every game 5-0 and are going to have tough games like everyone else.
Virgil van Dijk is remaining grounded after Liverpool beat Fulham 2-0 at Anfield, as he maintained his domineering presence off the pitch and was voted by his peers to be the club’s third captain after Jordan Henderson and James Milner.
Mohamed Salah and Xherdan Shaqiri put Fulham to the sword with goals in either half to maintain Liverpool’s unbeaten run in the Premier League this season.
The Reds now sit second behind leaders Manchester City, but van Dijk, who captained his side at the weekend, knows there’s still a lot of football to be played throughout this campaign.
“That is something we still need to see,” said van Dijk, when asked if Liverpool were title contenders. “[City] are the champions and the best team in the league but we will try everything to be as good as we can.
“We don’t have to look at others, we want to look at the games we have and the next challenge we have as Liverpool is Watford away, which is going to be tough.
“The season is very long. [City] are not going to win every game 5-0 and are going to have tough games like everyone else.
“We can be very positive about that [clean sheet]. It was very important, especially second half, to keep it tight at the back and I’m glad we did.
“It was an important win, especially before the international break I think and especially after the defeat we had in the Champions League.
“We won and showed some good football, especially in the second half. It was a scrappy game but we kept a clean sheet and won, so it’s a good feeling.
“I am just enjoying playing for Liverpool, it doesn’t really matter who is standing next to me.
“I am happy to be out there; we have great centre-backs and even Joel [Matip] is not even on the bench and that says a lot about our squad as well.
“Me and Joe [Gomez] are getting along really well outside the pitch and that helps on the pitch as well. We are winning games so we are doing pretty well and have made a better start than last season.”
"He is working hard like everyone else and when he gets his chance he is doing well.
"He scored but he's been pretty important the last couple of games he's been involved, which is good for all of us.
"Shaqiri is a guy with different qualities and - with his left foot - he is always dangerous."
That clean sheet was a remarkable seventh of the season for the Reds after twelve games played in the league, and their total tally of conceded goals, five, is their best since the beginning of the Premier League era.
But the former Celtic and Saints man was not keen to be drawn on who his prefered partner at the heart of the Reds defence us.
“I just enjoying playing for Liverpool, it doesn't really matter who is standing next to me,” he said. “I am happy to be out there; we have great centre-backs and even Joel is not even on the bench and that says a lot about our squad as well.”
Although he added a note on the success of his dovetailing with Joe Gomez, who has improved markedly under his tutelage: “Me and Joe are getting along really well outside the pitch and that helps on the pitch as well.”
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