How Van Dijk surprised Liverpool manager Slot

Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk's prime has amazed Reds manager Arne Slot, who says the defender is connected "another level".

Van Dijk, 33, is successful the past six months of his declaration and made his 300th quality for the Reds successful Saturday's 4-1 triumph implicit Ipswich Town.

During his 8 years astatine Anfield, the Dutch centre-half has won the Premier League, Champions League, Club World Cup, Uefa Super Cup, the FA Cup and the League Cup twice.

His aboriginal astatine the nine remains successful doubt, but helium has led Liverpool to the apical of the Premier League, into the past 16 of the Champions League and the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup this season.

"Everybody present successful England would archer you that Virgil van Dijk is the champion defender successful the world," said Slot, speaking to Gary Lineker successful an interrogation for Football Focus.

"In Holland, helium got a spot much disapproval than helium gets implicit present successful England. I was, successful a precise affirmative way, amazed however bully helium was connected the shot and however helium could play shot done the lines.

"From the archetypal time I was similar 'wow, this is decidedly different level that I'm utilized to'. But radical successful England were utilized to this."

You tin ticker Lineker's interrogation with Slot connected Football Focus connected Saturday astatine 12:00 GMT connected BBC One arsenic the brace sermon a wide scope of topics, with Slot besides challenging Lineker to a crippled of padel. It volition besides beryllium connected BBC iPlayer and online with a mentation connected the Football Daily connected BBC Sounds.

Slot, 46, became Liverpool manager past summer, replacing Jurgen Klopp, and the Reds presently beryllium six points wide of Arsenal astatine the apical of the Premier League with a crippled successful hand.

Liverpool are besides apical of the Champions League array - and into the past 16 with a lucifer to spare pursuing 7 successive victories - and play Dutch broadside PSV Eindhoven connected Wednesday successful their last league-phase match.

Slot admitted the play was going adjacent amended than helium had expected.

"You don't deliberation aft 20 games we volition person that galore points and I wasn't expecting america to beryllium apical with the borderline we have," helium added.

"It's ever bully to beryllium up there, but cipher would person expected this. I'm the past idiosyncratic who would person expected [reigning champions Manchester] City to person specified a atrocious run."

Slot signed a three-year declaration with Liverpool past summer, and is already reasoning however the nine tin improve.

He said: "Liverpool should ever beryllium competing for a league title, we should ever beryllium competing for the Champions League. I'm hoping I volition beryllium capable to support the nine astatine that level.

"I cognize radical sometimes question this due to the fact that they haven't seen america doing a batch successful the transportation marketplace successful the summertime and present successful the wintertime arsenic well. There's a crushed for that - due to the fact that we're blessed with the squad.

"But I bash cognize we're decidedly moving connected strengthening successful the summer."

During his playing days, Slot was a goalscoring attacking midfielder, doubly winning promotion from the Dutch 2nd part to the Eredivisie with FC Zwolle and besides playing successful the Uefa Cup with NAC Breda.

But a way into coaching was a earthy progression for Slot, who managed Dutch sides Cambuur, AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord, wherever helium won the league title, earlier moving to Liverpool.

"I don't deliberation anyone that played with maine is amazed I've go a manager," helium added.

"It didn't instrumentality agelong earlier I thought 'I'm going to bask this for arsenic agelong arsenic I tin and I decidedly privation to go a manager oregon a coach'."

During his clip successful the Netherlands helium would often amusement his players clips of Liverpool and however they performed, particularly during their Premier League winning play of 2019-20.

So however bash his playing skills comparison to those of his existent squad?

"It's a spot hard to beryllium successful this bureau successful Liverpool, each these players talking astir my ain playing career," helium laughed. "I ever marque the gag that I wasn't that fast. Some radical called maine slow.

"Normally if you're slow, you're bully and support connected running. But I wasn't bully astatine keeping connected moving either. But if I person to archer a prime I thought I did person it was the close timing [of pass], the close velocity successful the close direction.

"There has to beryllium thing to support your caput supra h2o successful the Eredivisie - I had a bully cognition of the game."

One facet that has been hard for Slot is the information his household are inactive successful the Netherlands.

"That is hard," helium admitted. "The bully happening is that it's lone an hr flight.

"The children spell to schoolhouse and are successful their exams. But they've been present rather a lot, particularly successful the archetypal fractional of the play erstwhile we've had a batch of planetary breaks.

"The astir hard play is for maine now. After November until March, determination is nary interruption successful England truthful that means it's a spot harder arsenic you don't spot them arsenic overmuch arsenic you privation to.

"This gives maine a batch of clip to hole and bash my enactment truthful possibly I'm a amended manager present than erstwhile I was successful Holland."