Liverpool: Virgil van Dijk instantly reacts to Europa League exit v Atalanta
Virgil van Dijk has instantly reacted to Liverpool crashing out of the Europa League against Atalanta on Thursday 18 April.
The Reds won in Italy 1-0 on the night but were made to pay by the Serie A side who left Anfield with a 3-0 victory only a week ago.
Van Dijk admitted that his side has to recover quickly for the Premier League title race, which starts again at Fulham on Sunday 21 April.
Speaking on TNT Sports after the game, as shared by the BBC on its live blog, Van Dijk shared his verdict on the two legs.
“Firstly credit to Atalanta. Last week we were very poor and they had a good game,” he said. “They deserved to go through because we made it far too difficult for ourselves.
“Tonight was a good game and we showed great fight. It was an improvement but the reality is we are out and we have to very quickly recover and travel to London on Saturday.
“We tried and we had opportunities. At times we wanted it too quickly as everyone was keen to get the second and third. But overall it isn’t enough.
“We are disappointed to be out of the competition as we really wanted to win it.”
Liverpool crash out of the Europa League
This isn’t how the fairytale was meant to end for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, with his side made to pay for that embarrassing first leg.
The truth is that the Reds were far superior to their opposition in the second leg with returning faces from injury, but it wasn’t enough in the end.
Klopp will now have full focus on the Premier League, with no other questions allowed as he looks to go out with a real bang with the top prize.
Manchester City have taken control of the Premier League title race and have it in their own hands, but after their loss to Real Madrid this week, anything can happen.
With Arsenal also crashing out of the Champions League, the Premier League title will likely go to whoever reacts the best to their own problems.
Liverpool winning in Italy will give them confidence again, and with players returning to top form again, Klopp will have them playing out of their skin.
In other Liverpool news, an update on the Reds’ spending ability under new rules next season has emerged.
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