Virgil van Dijk reveals key strength Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal need in Premier League title race
- Liverpool sit top of Premier League after 25 rounds of fixtures
- Arsenal two points behind in second with Man City a further two back but with a game in hand
- Virgil van Dijk believes calmness and composure will be crucial in weeks and months ahead
By Sean Walsh
Virgil van Dijk believes 'calmness' will be crucial to Liverpool pipping Arsenal and Manchester City to the Premier League title.
The Reds sit top of the standings on 57 points after 25 games, two points ahead of the Gunners in second. Reigning champions City have played only 24 matches thus far, but are no longer in control of the title race after surprisingly drawing 1-1 with Chelsea over the weekend, now sitting on 53 points.
Speaking after Liverpool's impressive 4-1 win away at Brentford on Saturday, Van Dijk revealed he and his teammates need to keep calm and hold their nerve if they're to win the title again.
"Calmness is the most difficult thing to have if you are under a lot of pressure or being rushed," Van Dijk said. "That is the big message. You have to stay calm, however difficult.
"What is the trick of staying calm? It is to enjoy your football. You have to expect difficulties. We play in the Premier League, we play against difficult teams who want to hurt you and want to kick you off from first place. We have to be ready to suffer. We are not a perfect team but we have to keep going.
"Arsenal were pushing until the very end [last season], almost, but obviously we have been there. It is a very, very difficult league. You are playing against teams like City or Arsenal who have so much quality so anything can happen. You have to win each game that is in front of you and by the looks of things, that will definitely be needed."
Liverpool have won the Premier League just once so far in Jurgen Klopp's time as manager, romping to victory in 2019/20 having finished 18 points clear of City.
The Reds have, however, finished as runners-up but just a solitary point behind champions City on two occasions - their 97 and 92-point hauls in 2018/19 and 2021/22 respectively were somehow not enough to win the title.
Arsenal, meanwhile, spent most of the 2022/23 season top of the table before a late collapse - their 248 days in first place was a new record-high for a side who did not win the title.
City have won the Premier League three seasons running and are aiming to become the first side in English history to claim four successive titles.
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