Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has claimed the World Cup in Qatar, plus injuries, are to blame for their poor season.
The centre-back has been speaking to Algemeen Dagblad after a difficult campaign for the Reds that ultimately saw them miss out on Champions League football.
Neither Van Dijk nor his teammates were able to live up to the high standards they’ve set at Liverpool in recent years, struggling to keep up with Manchester City for another season.
After competing on all fronts last season, the Reds were not able to pick up where they had left off and ultimately finished fifth, four points behind Newcastle in fourth and 22 points behind champions Manchester City.
That was just one of many low points in a disappointing campaign overall for Liverpool and Van Dijk believes there were several factors that led to it happening.
“Last season, there were a number of factors that added up to making things more difficult,” he said.
“The World Cup in Qatar, for example, in the middle of the season. We had to deal with injuries, with form that just wasn’t there in many matches.
“As a result, you start playing inconsistently and that is frustrating. We won 7-0 against Manchester United, then you think you are over it, but a few days later we lost 1-0 at Bournemouth.”
