Jurgen Klopp has been told that needs to rest Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk as he “gave up” during their loss to AFC Bournemouth.
Liverpool slipped to their seventh away league defeat of the 2022/23 campaign on Saturday afternoon as they were beaten 1-0 by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Phillip Billing scored the only goal of the game as Mo Salah later failed to equalise from the penalty spot.
For the Bournemouth goal, Dango Ouattara got the better of Van Dijk – who did not put up much of a fight – before he crossed the ball in to Billing to convert.
Speaking post-match, Klopp said Bournemouth’s goal “should probably have been defendable”.
“We cannot go through it completely, pass the ball, don’t cover the space. I don’t know 100% anymore how the positioning was, I need to watch it back. In the end, a ball comes from the outside into the inside and probably it should be defendable as well but I have to watch it back.”
Ex-Chelsea and West Ham defender Scott Minto claimed during talkSPORT’s coverage of the game that Van Dijk “gave up” for Bournemouth’s goal.
“The pace of [Dango] Ouattara in behind, it’s a high line and a simple ball over the top. I don’t know what Van Dijk was doing. It looked like he gave it up there,” Minto said on talkSPORT.
“I really don’t know what Van Dijk was doing, he didn’t seem to stay with Outtara at all.
“Of course, he’s a key member of the squad and one of the best centre-backs in world football, but he has been complaining about fitness and the schedule.
“If he’s not right, rest him! That’s what a big squad is for.”
Peter Crouch and Steve McManaman were equally as scathing with their analysis of the goal when speaking at half-time.
“It was disappointing,’ Crouch told BT Sport.
“Van Dijk seems to give up, Trent Alexander-Arnold switches off and it’s too, too easy for Bournemouth’
McManaman added: “All the bad habits have come back, they are really lethargic. This high line they keep doing, gambling to play offside… they have been terrible, really, really poor and they have to liven up.”
Joe Cole meanwhile claimed that Van Dijk “switched off” and “you don’t want that from your captain”.
“It’s a simple ball over the top. He gets back in but now he needs to switch on, he should be in business,” Cole added.
“When have we ever seen Virgil van Dijk just stroll past someone in that situation? He just switches off.
“Look at that reaction, you don’t want that from your captain.”
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