Virgil van Dijk has warned his Liverpool teammates they will have to accept being substituted or sitting out games altogether given the greater squad depth at Anfield, after Mohamed Salah and Jordan Henderson showed their frustration at being withdrawn during the draw with Chelsea on Saturday.
Salah, in particular, endured a frustrating return to Stamford Bridge and was taken off shortly after the hour with the visitors still trailing to Eden Hazard’s first-half goal. While there is no underlying concern at the Egyptian’s form – he boasts three goals in nine club appearances to date this term – among the coaching staff, the reigning player of the year is clearly still easing his way into the campaign, with Jürgen Klopp willing to turn to Daniel Sturridge or Xherdan Shaqiri to freshen up the side’s approach.
Asked if key personnel will have to become accustomed to being replaced, Van Dijk said: “You have to, otherwise you better leave. We all want one thing: to be successful, and we need everyone’s help. It’s a long season with a lot of games. We need everyone and everyone knows that as well, and that’s a big strength for us.
“We are seven games in and Mo’s working hard. He’s still the same Mo, and he needs a bit of luck as well. I’m not worried at all, and he should not be worried either. We do it all together, we’ll always be there for him and he’ll deliver as well. He had a tough game against Chelsea, but it’s part of football.”
