What's the news?
Liverpool's star defender, Virgil van Dijk, has urged supporters to hold their nerves as the Reds' bid for the Premier League title inches closer.
In case you didn't know...
With 18 league titles, Liverpool are one of the most successful football clubs in England. However, they are yet to lift the league trophy in the English Premier League era and were last crowned as the champions of England back in 1990.
Nevertheless, things are looking bright for Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp as they are currently at the top of the Premier League table, five points clear of Manchester City. The Reds missed the chance to move seven points clear at the top as they mustered a point against Leicester City in their last outing.
The heart of the matter
There was a tense feeling around Anfield when the Reds failed to beat Leicester on Wednesday and rightfully, the Dutchman deemed the nervous feeling around the stadium as “unnecessary”.
When asked if Anfield sounded nervous on the night, Van Dijk told The Guardian:
“It sounded like it. It didn't transmit to me and I don't think it did to my team-mates, but obviously you get that feeling as well from the crowd and I think it’s not really necessary at the moment."
The central defender continued:
“But obviously everyone wants to win so bad and that’s what we want as well but sometimes you need to be very patient In the end it’s all about showing on the pitch and we’re not going to be affected by that."
“We want everyone to cheer us on and keep pushing even if we have tough moments, even if we’re 1-0 down or maybe more. We just need everyone to pull in the same direction and keep going, that’s the only way forward.”
What's next?
After a frustrating draw with Leicester City last Wednesday, the Reds will be looking forward to getting back to the winning ways when they face West Ham United on February 5.