Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has claimed that the Reds are a better team than they were a year ago ahead of the Champions League final.
Van Dijk was part of the Liverpool side who were beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid in last season’s Champions League final, with defensive errors costing Klopp’s side in the final twelve months ago.
However, the PFA Player of the Year has insisted that Liverpool’s squad are better prepared and have improved over the course of the last year, with Klopp’s side losing just one Premier League game this term, ahead of the Reds’ Champions League final clash against Tottenham.
“We’ve made big steps as a team, as a group of players. I think all season we have been consistent, we’ve used the whole squad not just 12 or 13. So I think we are better than we were last season,” van Dijk told Talksport on Wednesday [9:55am].
OPINION
Van Dijk is right to claim that Liverpool have improved since last season’s Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid, with Klopp’s side now seemingly in a much better position to win the final of the competition this term. Liverpool have shown a fresh resilience throughout the campaign, conceding the least amount of goals in the Premier League this season and only losing one league game. That has been down to Klopp slightly adapting his approach and attempting to get his side to have more control over matches, rather than leaving themselves open like they did at times last term. Van Dijk’s arrival from Southampton has had a major impact on that successful change of approach, with the defender’s excellent campaign being recognised with the Netherlands international receiving the PFA Player of the Year award. As Van Dijk suggests the Reds are better prepared to win the final this year, and Liverpool supporters will hope their improvement can be demonstrated by winning the Champions League this term.
