Virgil van Dijk's Challenge for Liverpool: A Fresh Start Under Iraola
Virgil van Dijk has drawn a hard line under last season and thrown down a challenge to everyone inside Liverpool’s dressing room: what happened under Arne Slot cannot happen again.
On the eve of the new Premier League campaign, the Liverpool captain called last year “unacceptable” and made it clear that the standards at Anfield must snap back into place – starting with Sunday’s trip to Newcastle United and a fresh start under Andoni Iraola.
Van Dijk’s verdict: “Unacceptable” is the word
Liverpool went into 2024/25 as champions of England and ended it scrambling over the line in fifth. Twelve league defeats, 20 losses in all competitions, and a final-day salvage job just to secure Champions League football. For a club that had just been on the summit, it was a brutal fall.
Slot paid the price within a week of the season ending. Liverpool moved quickly for Iraola, out of work after leaving Bournemouth, and handed the Basque coach a two-year deal in early June.
Van Dijk, now heading into his 10th season at the club, did not sugar-coat what came before.
“For me personally, being a Liverpool player, last year was unacceptable,” he said. “But that is last year. This year we have an opportunity to turn that around, together with our fans.”
The message was sharp: if you’re not ready for the fight, you’re at the wrong club.
“We all know how tough that will be but if you don't up for the challenge, then you're not at the right place. What I feel at the moment is everyone is up for the challenge. Let's see how we go about it.”
Embracing Iraola’s front-foot football
Pre-season has offered a first glimpse of Iraola’s ideas. Liverpool have looked more adventurous, more willing to take risks with the ball – a trait that defined Bournemouth’s best spells under him.
Basque intensity, high pressing, quick transitions. Van Dijk likes what he’s seen.
“If you look at Bournemouth last year (under Iraola), I think they were pretty exciting,” he said. “I would say if we keep working, keep believing, keep showing our quality, staying fit, and hopefully win a lot of games then we can be very excited. That's the aim, that’s what we fight for, but we all know how tough it is.”
He pushed back on the notion that Liverpool need to prove anything to outsiders. The point, he insisted, lies inside the building.
“I don't think we have a point to prove to anyone. We have to show how much we care, how much we want to fight for this badge and also realise how privileged we are to be playing for Liverpool.”
The demands are heavy: Premier League, Champions League and domestic cups. Van Dijk’s answer is to lean into it.
“We all know how tough it is to be playing Premier League football, to be playing on all four fronts, but you have to embrace it. You have to enjoy the ride. We are all so blessed here and we have to keep going and enjoy it and that's what I will do, and I encourage everyone to do that as well. That's what I keep saying to the boys as well so let's see.”
New boss, new partner, same responsibility
Change will be visible straight away at the back. Van Dijk is set to line up with a new centre-half partner as Iraola decides whether to throw £60m signing Jeremy Jacquet straight into the Premier League or lean on the experience of Ronald Araujo, brought in on loan from Barcelona earlier this month.
Whichever way the coach goes, the captain knows the squad around him still needs to be deep enough to handle a season that could stretch into every possible fixture.
“We need a squad that is able to compete on all four fronts and that’s the only way to try to be successful,” the Netherlands captain said. “Let’s see what the last couple of weeks of the transfer window will bring and then let’s go for it.”
Last season left scars. Van Dijk’s stance is clear: they stay in the past. The real judgment begins now, under Iraola, and it starts at Newcastle.
