Virgil Van Dijk says that the difficult season that Liverpool endured taught him just as many lessons off the pitch than on it.
In his first couple of seasons as Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp had built a unit which were sublime in a attacking sense but still had frailties at the other end of the pitch which needed fixing if the side was ever going to reach its true potential.
The decision to sign the Dutchman in January 2018 has been nothing short of a transformative moment in the modern history of the club since his arrival in January of 2018.
Liverpool have won every major club honour since Van Dijk became the leader of the defence, while he has also won plenty of individual awards along the way.
However it has not always been a bed of roses for the 31 year-old as he had to overcome a season long cruciate knee injury courtesy of a rash challenge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in October 2020.
With his club commitments having concluded a few weeks ago, Van Dijk has had time to reflect on a campaign which challenged him in many ways as the Mirror reported.
“I don't feel too big to be vulnerable. It has been quite an intense season, with many ups and downs and people must understand that we aren’t robots. It has been a year in which I learned a lot - especially off the pitch, and certainly mentally.
“In football it's never plain sailing - but this season was still quite a shock. Sometimes the criticism was just right, both on the team and on me individually. But quite often it was not quite right. Either way, you have to be able to deal with it - and I'm glad I came out of it well. Mentally, that’s not always easy.”
The defender maintained that he is more than able to take criticism on the chin but has little time when it is just there for ‘clickbait’ purposes.
“Criticism is part of it - and it's certainly not a problem if it's justified. But a footballer knows when he has played well or badly. Some comments are also only intended to be controversial and are said just for the sake of saying them. There are so many platforms on which people can express their opinions these days.
“ The problem is that, as a footballer, you can't really say much back. If you do that once, you immediately have the puppets dancing. I am someone who consciously doesn't read, listen or watch much. I can shut myself off from it. But you do get told a lot by other people - and then you can't escape it.”
The topic of mental well-being has never been greater than the present day.And that is particularly relevant in an industry such as professional sports where it is imperative that you have a strong support network around you and Van Dijk says he is lucky to have that.
“I always talk to people who are close to me. That's really important. No-one is too big to talk or to make yourself vulnerable. At home I talk a lot with my wife and at the club we have enough people you can talk to who specialise in that. No player has a career with only highlights but if criticism is fierce and negative, you can suffer as an athlete. The trick is to deal with it properly.”
Looking ahead to the upcoming season and Van Dijk is focused on a better season with Liverpool and he hopes to remain at the club for the foreseeable future.
“I still have two years left on my contract and I assume that they (Liverpool) still consider me important for the team. If not, I am sure I would have heard about it. My contact with the manager is good and I feel very positive about things again. The way we finished the season motivates me to go into pre-season with the new players who are coming in.”
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