Virgil Van Dijk warns Liverpool’s new defence needs time to gel

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk believes Liverpool’s revamped defence will need time to develop an understanding, despite praising new signings Ronald Araujo and Jeremy Jacquet.

The Reds have been forced to reshape their backline following the departures of Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson, while Joe Gomez suffered a muscle injury during the club’s opening pre-season fixture.

Liverpool have added Uruguay international Araujo on a season-long loan from Barcelona, while French defender Jacquet arrived this summer after agreeing a deal with the club in February.

Both defenders featured in Liverpool’s 2-0 friendly victory over Como at Anfield on Sunday, with Jacquet also getting on the scoresheet.

Asked how he could build an effective partnership with his new defensive colleagues.

“By playing games. I won't say it's the only way, but games are totally different than training,” Van Dijk said.

Van Dijk said Liverpool’s new defenders need time and regular games to build strong communication and understanding.

“Obviously, Jeremy's English is, I would say, a bit better than Ronald, but at the end of the day, we all pretty good footballers and we can see and smell some moments, how to defend certain situations,” he added.

“It's pretty clear that you need to form a connection together and take a bit of time. But it's, in my opinion, absolutely normal. But hopefully, we can get that going as quickly as possible.”

Liverpool, who finished fifth in the Premier League last season, will begin their new campaign away to Newcastle United on August 23rd.