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Georginio Wijnaldum said Liverpool’s tackles in Saturday’s Merseyside derby were “unacceptable” and said all the players had sleepless nights after seeing their talisman defender Virgil Van Dijk forced to withdraw due to injury. that could end the season.
Van Dijk requires surgery following a knee-high tackle by Jordan Pickford in the 11th minute of Saturday’s game. Pickford’s tackle went unpunished, but Van Dijk now faces months on the sidelines.
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Wijnaldum, 29, was speaking ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League opener in Amsterdam against Ajax on Wednesday, but the pre-conference press conference was dominated by questions about Van Dijk’s long-term injury and also on Thiago Alcántara’s injury due to Richarlison’s late foul which led to a red card being shown to him.
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“We are still devastated,” Wijnaldum said of Van Dijk’s injury. “It’s different from normal, the way it happened is very difficult for us.
“I think everyone still has a bad feeling about it. When we talk to the guys after Saturday, I think none of the players fell asleep because of what happened with Virgil and the way it happened. It’s really hard to accept, and it was difficult for the team. “
Wijnaldum knows Van Dijk well, as he is also his international teammate with the Netherlands.
“Of course we’re upset, the way Pickford took up the challenge was, in my opinion, stupid,” Wijnaldum continued. “I think he didn’t want to hurt Virgil, but the way he took the tackle was basically that he didn’t care what happened after the tackle.
“I think we’ve had it a lot in the games against Everton. In my opinion, they take it too far in the games we play against them. We know it’s a derby, and everyone wants to win the derby, sometimes you go too far. the upstairs, but this was too much. It was not only his entrance, but also Richarlison’s entrance to Thiago was also unpleasant.
“That’s what bothered me and the other players the most: accidents can always happen in football, you can be unlucky with a tackle where you hurt someone, but the way they were doing it was unacceptable. It makes it harder for Pickford not to. ” be punished after watching the videos. “
Jurgen Klopp said the club has yet to receive a response to its request for review of the Merseyside derby VAR decisions, and said the club is still coming to terms with Van Dijk’s prolonged injury and the tough tackles they were subjected to. .
“Something happened a couple of days ago that shouldn’t have happened in a soccer game. I see it similar to my players. Both challenges were difficult to accept, let me put it that way,” Klopp said.
“It’s not going to change anymore. I spoke the next day, and it’s very difficult for us because Virgil is our boy. It has nothing to do with Virgil’s quality, yes, he is a world-class player and we will miss him, and injuries. It happens in football and very often in challenges Very often both players try to play the ball, but it was not the case in these two challenges, and it makes it difficult to accept.
“In the last four years we were the leaders on the fair play table, we don’t get anything for that, it’s often something people make a joke about. That means you can play football without these kinds of challenges.
“In this case, Michael Oliver did not see it, and he is an excellent referee, but I do not understand why he did not see it, since he had the best view. And the VAR forgets the rules. But as a human being, it is not who wants to punish an Everton player, but if you do something wrong you have to deal with the consequences.
Klopp said Liverpool will also be without Joel Matip for Wednesday night’s game against Ajax, meaning Fabinho is likely to step in as center-back alongside Joe Gomez. And he also said that he was not sure how long Thiago will be out for the injury he suffered against Everton.
The Liverpool manager was also not guided by reports of a possible European separatist tournament, called the “European Premier League”, but drew attention to his first match against Ajax. He dismissed suggestions that Ajax will be weaker for a summer in which they lost key players Sergino Dest, Hakim Ziyech and Donny van de Beek and instead expects firm proof of his team’s credentials on Wednesday.
“It is a sensational club with an outstanding philosophy with a world-class coach and world-class talent,” said Klopp.
Source: espn.co.uk
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