Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool captain, responded to criticism that the team lost to Manchester United in the Red Derby because players went out before the game.
On 5 May 2026 GMT+7, Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool's captain and defender, responded to heavy criticism after players were permitted by manager Jürgen Klopp to rest before the game, which some blamed for the 2-3 loss to Manchester United in the Red Derby.
Van Dijk denied that this was the reason for the defeat, saying it was just a one-day break, which is normal for Liverpool players.
“Two or three days off? You mean just one day off. I'm not even sure it was a day off. It was just going out in the city. But I think if you have only one day off, and you don’t have many days off, everyone can decide how they want to spend it with their family. We’re not children; everyone is an adult now.”
“This week we have our first game against Chelsea, so our preparation is focused on that match.”
“On the Saturday before the Man Utd game, we stayed at the hotel and then played the match. So we had another two days to rest with our families. On Friday we stayed at the hotel, on Saturday we played. It’s not like we went out to relax or anything.”
“I hope we get a couple more days off because I think it benefits both ways. You see, Pep Guardiola gave Man City three consecutive days off recently and they performed very well. It’s about finding the right balance.”
The next English Premier League match is Liverpool versus Chelsea on Saturday, 9 May at 18:30 GMT+7.