“So that means we will have to be fully focused and prepared to fight for points from the first whistle. We have had some good days and nights against Chelsea in recent years, but that will count for nothing this weekend. are, and we need to be somewhere near our best if we want to get the outcome we want.

“There is no doubt that the next three weeks will challenge us all. From Sunday we will play seven games in the space of 20 days, across three competitions and against some very good teams. We are going to be tested, and we will test everyone need at best.

“But that’s exactly what we want. We want to play in big games. We want to be in the Champions League, at the top of the Premier League and in the domestic cup competitions. We are Liverpool and that means testing periods like this have to be normal.” should be regarded and approached with excitement rather than fear.”

Van Dijk continued: “The most recent international break ended in frustration for me personally, but there were also some real positives for some of my teammates.

“Congratulations, for example, to Conor Bradley who captained Northern Ireland for the first time. In football, there are few greater honors than being chosen to lead your country and I know Conor and his family will be extremely proud, as they should do.” are.

Others also showed their best form, including Trent Alexander-Arnold with England, Dominik Szoboszlai with Hungary and Luis Diaz with Colombia. Hopefully they, and others, return with both form and confidence, ready for the big challenges ahead.

“As I said, this is a period when we need every member of the squad. We are all pleased with the start we have made to the season, with nine wins from ten games in all competitions, but that only makes it but we are hungrier to deliver more.

“We don’t want to be remembered as a team that flew out of the blocks and then faded away. We want to get stronger and stronger as the season goes on, and deliver big performances and big results on a consistent basis. That’s what we do.” will demand a lot from ourselves.”