"The hard work starts here. Bring it on" - Liverpool star sends message ahead of PL clash against Nottingham Forest

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has sent a message ahead of their Nottingham Forest clash in the Premier League. He has urged the players to turn up and deliver for the club, stating that they need to work hard on the pitch.

Writing in the pre-match programme, Van Dijk said that Anfield is a special place for the club and that they need to ensure they are back to their best at home. He wants the Liverpool players to take inspiration from their wins over Real Madrid and Aston Villa and said (via Anfield Index):

“Anfield, always, is a special place for us, and I think we showed in the Villa and Madrid games what can be achieved when everyone, players and supporters, works together. The atmosphere for both of those games was amazing, and I’d love to feel something similar on Saturday afternoon. I want this place rocking every time we play here.” “Like I say, we know what lies ahead over the next few months, but for now our focus must be on the next game only. We fight for the win, we fight for the three points and we go from there. The hard work starts here. Bring it on.”

Talking about the opponents, he added:

“We know that we will be facing a team, in Nottingham Forest, that is coming with a lot of motivation, and that will try to make life as difficult as possible for us,” Van Dijk notes. “They won at Anfield last season, albeit under a different manager, and we know that we will need to be on it from the first minute, given the strength and the quality that they possess.”

Liverpool sit eighth in the Premier League, eight points behind leaders Arsenal.

Virgil van Dijk warns Liverpool players over upcoming fixtures

Virgil van Dijk has urged the Liverpool players to stay focused as they will be playing twice every week for the next three months. He believes that the run will be season-defining and said in the programme:

“You only need to look at the fixture schedule to recognise how important the next few weeks and months are. From now until March we will play every three or four days, pretty much, meaning we need to be extremely focused, extremely committed and ready to rest, recover and go again very quickly.”

Liverpool have lost five of their opening 11 league matches this season, one more than in the 2024/25 season when they won the title.

Edited by Sripad