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Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has reacted to his infamous shove on Leandro Paredes during the Netherlands vs. Argentina game at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Paredes slammed the ball at the Dutch bench, which caused Van Dijk's reaction.
The towering central defender has now explained his mindset during the incident, as he said (via GOAL):
"(The shove on Paredes) was obviously something I don't normally do but it was the heat of the moment and we are all human beings, these things happen. It fuels me in any way, shape or form because I want to be successful with the Netherlands.
"I feel like we have a fantastic squad and new era with Ronald Koeman coming back (replacing coach Louis van Gaal) and young players coming through. Hopefully we can do something nice in the summer with the Nations League finals. That will be a nice step and it is something I really want to win, even though it's the end of the season when you are probably absolutely shattered."
The defender was brilliantly denied by Emiliano Martinez during the penalty shootout as Oranjes eventually crashed out of the quarter-final stages of the tournament in Qatar.
He is now back with Liverpool and is looking to get the Reds' season back on track after a dismal start in the Premier League.
Virgil van Dijk said FIFA World Cup exit has fueled his motivation for Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk claimed that the FIFA World Cup exit sparked a fire of motivation in him yet again. The Dutchman is keen to help Liverpool perform better and close the gap on league leaders Arsenal.
Speaking ahead of the game against Brentford, Van Dijk said (via The Guardian):
“It has also motivated me here. We are quite some points behind Arsenal but the season could be a very crazy one, a very strange one. But we have to be realistic and we’re not thinking about the title at the moment. We have to focus on the game ahead of us, win games and then we’ll see.”
