Virgil van Dijk has weighed in on the debate around fixture congestions, ahead of Liverpool’s Europa League game with LASK.
“From tonight’s fixture onwards we will play nine games in 27 days, which is obviously a challenge,” he said in the matchday programme. “But it is also a schedule that every one of us has to and will embrace because only by attacking it together will we get as much out of it as we possibly can.
“I have spoken on a number of occasions about the risks that an overly-congested fixture calendar causes to players and I stand by every word. This is very much a conversation that football needs to have for the sake not just of those who play, but also for the game itself.
“This shouldn’t be controversial because everyone in football should have the best interests of the game at heart. It is just about finding the right balance that works for everyone.”
