On whether there was a team meeting on Monday following Saturday’s Anfield draw with Burnley…
I’m not aware of what Virgil actually said [to the media after the Burnley game], but I think as always we had a post-match meeting led by me. I think once this season, as far as I am aware, the players came together – I don’t even know which game that was, it was months ago already. So, we did have a post-match meeting to talk about all the positives we did in that game, but also show where we can do a little bit better to make sure if you have a performance like that where you have so many shots – [the] most shots by any team in the Premier League this season – that then doesn’t result in a draw but ends up in a win for us.
On Van Dijk’s impact at Liverpool as he prepares to make his 350th appearance for the club…
It’s been unbelievable, of course. Won the league twice and won the Champions League and some domestic cups as well. Apart from that, I think he only had one big injury in his career at Liverpool [and] it’s not even fair to take his age into account, maybe, but for him to be as fit as he is for such a long period, because as all of you see I play him almost every game. The level he brings is still very, very, very good for us. To be fit every single three days – after two days of rest we need to go to Bournemouth again [this weekend] – and it’s not only him, all of these players that are overloaded quite a bit because we have three big, big, big injuries and why we have to many times play the same players and Virgil is one of them. To stay at that level and constantly be fit, and for all the things he has won for this club, then that is only positive.
On facing Roberto De Zerbi…
I regard him as one of the best managers in the world. In my opinion it should not always be judged on the amount of trophies you win, it should also be judged on the fact of how you let your team play. I think he is already working at a very big club because Marseille is a very big club, [both] at the moment and history wise as well. I’m not the one that is hiring coaches but if I was one, he would definitely be very high on a list if I worked at a big club. I always like to watch his teams. He is working in France now so I follow the English league a little bit more, of course, but when he was at Brighton, I saw his teams playing more. He’s a very good manager, it’s not always fair to judge managers only on what they win, the style of play should also be very important as well in my opinion and the development of players. That’s what you see with him, that players always develop very well and then sometimes when he leaves these players are not as good as they were with him and that usually tells me how good a manager you are.
