Virgil van Dijk and Jurgen Klopp don’t agree on who should take the blame for Liverpool’s defeat against Luton.
Luton Town held the title-chasing Reds to a 1-1 draw at Kenilworth Road on Sunday. It was a frustrating outcome for the team, and after the game, Jurgen Klopp became enraged with the referees.
Virgil van Dijk is adamant that Liverpool shouldn’t hold the referees accountable for their loss at Luton.
The decision to not award a penalty when the ball struck Ross Barkley’s elbow before to the counterattack that resulted in the first goal for the hosts and the “wrestling” that left Van Dijk on the ground in the opposition penalty area infuriated Kop manager Jurgen Klopp.
Luis Diaz stepped from the bench to earn the Reds a point at Kenilworth Road with a stoppage-time equaliser, on a day where the title contenders had missed a host of chances against the Premier League new boys.
But while Klopp pointed the finger at the officials, Van Dijk refused to lay the blame at the referees’ door, instead insisting that it was their own fault they didn’t walk away with all three points.
“I can’t speak about the decisions but I headed the ball and it came against his elbow apparently, I think, I don’t know,” continued the Dutchman.
“Obviously the counter attack starts and they look if it’s a penalty yes or no, they decide it’s not.
It’s quite a good advantage for them, obviously they start a counter-attack and they score from it.
“So you know I don’t know the rules exactly in this case but it shouldn’t come to a decision if it’s a penalty or not to get a good result.
“I think we had the opportunities ourselves to get a good result and we didn’t do it. The same as the wrestling moment before that. He can give it but he didn’t.”
Colombian International Diaz came on and notched for the first time since his parents were seized at gunpoint on October 28.
While his mother was immediately reclaimed, his dad, Luis Manuel, remains missing.
Diaz put out a statement on Sunday night calling for his father’s safe release having revealed a T-shirt that simply said “Freedom for my father”, following his equaliser.
The circumstances are obviously difficult for Diaz, but also his team-mates and Liverpool staff.
But Van Dijk insists Diaz has been looking to ensure both himself and the team aren’t being distracted by the situation.
Van Dijk said: “Obviously when it happened, before the last game against Nottingham, it was a shock to everyone and we spoke about it but it should give us extra motivation.
“He doesn’t want us to suffer from what he is going through. He wants to take fuel from it and that’s what we all know.”
Liverpool players have been trying their best to look after Diaz amid the ongoing uncertainty, with Colombian military trying to negotiate his father’s release.
The left-wing ELN rebel group announced before the weekend that they are willing to release Luis Manuel, but have demanded “security guarantees”.
“Hopefully we can get his father back as soon as possible,” added Van Dijk. “You can’t imagine it.
“That is the scary part of it, the only thing we can do is hope that the authorities and the people there manage to find him safe and sound, get him back to his family and we pray for him as well.”
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