'I'm not naive', Virgil Van Dijk darting at critics

Virgil van Dijk, Netherlands captain and Liverpool's third captain, admitted he has made a poor start to the season for the Reds but hopes he has already started to improve, not least on the back of his convincing performance in Thursday's 2-0 win over Poland.

"I'm not naive about this, I know when I make mistakes and it weighs on me even more because I'm an important player for the club, I feel a big responsibility," said Van Dijk, a mainstay for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal. The Dutch only need not to lose by three goals or more in Amsterdam on Sunday's final matchday against Belgium to reach the Nations League Final Four.

<br/><strong>More Liverpool news:</strong>

Jürgen Klopp is already desperate to find his new reinforcements

Mo Salah's incredible reason for going viral on social media

"I know I could have done better at the start of the season," continued Van Dijk, who knows that, because of his leadership, if he fails it is even more noticeable, both at Liverpool and in the national team. But the 31-year-old defender is happy with how he has managed those fitness problems. "Mentally it's a challenge. You feel a lot of pressure in your head and a lot of people forget that. And you get criticism. You have to live with that," he explained.

Van Dijk revealed that at Liverpool "we have talked (about the problems at the start of the season) and we hope it won't happen again, and the important thing is that we are all going in the same direction and that is the basis of success". The Reds have felt the low level of one of their top performers, having taken just nine points from their first six Premier League games, their worst record since Jurgen Klopp took the reins.

<strong>I know when I make mistakes</strong>

At the same time, Van Dijk accepted that criticism is part of the rules of the game. "We all try to do our best and if in my case you are one of the benchmarks at the club, then you get the criticism you deserve. You have to deal with that, although it's not always easy. But I do well," he said.