Virgil van Dijk cautions Mohamed Salah and submits a "dreadful" message to Erling Haaland.
During Liverpool's Community Shield victory over Manchester City, defender Vigil van Dijk got up close and personal with Erling Haaland, as Mohamed Salah looked like his old self.Virgil van Dijk has advised Prem League center backs that facing Erling Haaland will be "horrible."
After becoming the most sought-after young striker on the transfer market, Haaland joined Manchester City for £51 million. City striker Haaland did not score in the Community Shield against Liverpool, but van Dijk believes he can be a huge success in the Premier League.
"He will make defenders' lives in England horrible!" said Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk. He's very direct. He has it all: he can head the ball and he's quick. But we managed to keep him at bay. He only had one, well, two chances, but other than that, we worked well together.
"However, he will understand that he must concentrate on his own game rather than what others say." There is pressure on players who have a high price tag, but what can you do? You come in to perform, and the club pays for your transfer. All you have to do is work, and in his case, score as many goals as possible. In our case, Darwin Nunez is the same."
Haaland has previously referred to van Dijk as a "physical monster," and clearly the respect is mutual. Despite missing a late sitter, the Norwegian star's movement and pace were outstanding.
Van Dijk also alerted that Mohamed Salah is showing signs of returning to his best, implying that the Egyptian striker was distracted by the contract saga last season before signing a new £300,000-a-week deal.
"He's constantly under the magnifying lens," Van Dijk added. He obviously created that because he's such a good player, but he demonstrates it all the time. There were a lot of contract talks and stuff towards the end of the season, maybe April onwards. We are all human beings, and I believe that had an impact on him. Nonetheless, he demonstrated a high level of quality. Now that everything is in order, he is playing with a
And in the meantime, amidst the defeat to Liverpool, Pep Guardiola believes City will be ready to defend their Premier League title. Guardiola insists his team is "getting closer" and has issued a forewarning ahead of their first game against West Ham on Sunday.
"There is no reason not to be confident," City manager Pep Guardiola said. There is no reason. What these guys have accomplished, not only in the Premier League, but also in the cups and in Europe...
"I'm not sure what will happen this season, but I know these guys." I have absolutely no reservations. We lost a final we would have preferred to win, but we respect the opponent and know the standards we must meet and maintain. We're getting closer.
We played very well against Bayern a few days ago, and we did very well against Liverpool. I don't think we're that far apart. But what happens against West Ham and Bournemouth will be determined by the end of the game. It will determine our level. There will be some processes that will not be perfect, and we will have to correct and improve them.
Guardiola also insisted that £45 million signing Kalvin Phillips simply needs more time to adjust after being benched against Liverpool. He is also up against Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and Ilkay Gundogan. "He has confidence," Guardiola added. He's all set to go. He only arrived three weeks ago, and Rodri, Bernardo, and Gundogan are all aware of it. But he'll get it eventually. He will assist us in many games.
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