Daily Express - 30.07.2019

FOOTBALL: VIRGIL KEEPS FAITH Daily Express Tuesday, July 30, 2019^57

DX1ST

we play like that [against Napoli]

we won’t win the Community

Shield, it’s as simple as that. We

will definitely be ready for City.”

Salah, Roberto Firmino, Alisson,

Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri will all

be back for a training camp in

Evian this week, where Liverpool

will work on fitness, tactical and

technical details.

That will be especially

important in defence, with some

of the frailties at the back against

Napoli forcing a flashpoint

between Van Dijk and his

manager Jurgen Klopp after

the first Italian goal at

Murrayfield on Sunday.

Asked what was said,

he smiled, saying: “Just

things between me and

him. Everyone has to

communicate with

each other.

“Sometimes

you have to tell

someone the

truth – that’s

how it is.”

opponents Manchester City

spending again this summer.

Yet they also – in Van Dijk

himself – possess the favourite to

lift this year’s Ballon d’Or trophy,

and, in Mo Salah, a previous

contender for that title.

“First of all we have good

players,” Van Dijk said of the

team’s capacity to challenge again

this season. “That’s important.

“But everyone knows the

players who are missing are

important players for us.

That’s a fact. It was

quite sloppy at times

against Napoli, but

there’s no concerns from

my point of view.

“Our season starts

properly next Sunday, so

our focus will be on

that. Obviously we

want to win

games – and the

Manchester

City game is

perfect for

that. We

know if

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WIN

❑

ARSENAL expect to complete the

club-record £72 million signing of Lille

star Nicolas Pepe in the next 24 hours.

The France winger is set to fly into

London for his medical today and will sign a

five-year deal worth £138,000-a-week as

Gunners manager Unai Emery accelerates

his spending with less than two weeks to go

before the new Premier League season.

Arsenal are expected to make a third bid

for Celtic defender Keiran Tierney as they

look to strengthen their defence.

TONY BANKS

such as David Silva, Kevin De

Bruyne, Fernandinho and Sergio

Aguero.

“It’s not something I’m fussed

about,” said the flying winger.

“I’m not going to start shouting

on the pitch now Vinny’s gone. We

have a lot of players who can fill

that role.”

RAHEEM STERLING has ruled

himself out as captain of

Manchester City – despite his

growing influence at the club.

Vincent Kompany’s decision to

join Anderlecht as player-coach

after 11 successful years means

City need a new skipper.

Sterling, though, feels there are

more worthy candidates than him

Sterling: I’m no skipper

VIRGIL VAN DIJK allayed fears

over Liverpool’s refusal to splash

the summer transfer cash by

insisting the current squad has

barely scratched the surface of

their potential.

The centre-half says there is a

reason they are the current

European champions – simply

because they have proven their

quality and spirit beyond

question.

Yet even though they have

reached successive Champions

League finals and last season

recorded 97 points, the third-

highest total ever in English

football’s elite, the Dutchman

believes there is far more to come.

He points to the fact that they

are a young team, who only really

came together in the second half

of last season. And he is convinced

that with important players such

as Naby Keita and Joe Gomez –

and even Fabinho – still to play a

central role throughout a full

campaign, they can get better.

Liverpool have so far brought in

only Fulham teenager Harvey

Elliott and Dutch defender Sepp

van den Berg, 17, and when asked

about the fans’ unease over the

new signings, Van Dijk fired back:

“There’s plenty more to come

from the team.

“There’s a reason why we are

European champions. We have to

stay calm, we want to win games,

and yeah, OK, Napoli were just a

little bit better than us, but

even there we showed promising

football as well.”

Liverpool have lost three of

their last four pre-season games

against better opposition, which

has prompted an outcry from

the more excitable sections

of support, especially with

Sunday’s Community Shield

ANGRY:

Boss Klopp

took his

frustration

out on

Van Dijk

Van Dijk says

rocking Reds

will improve

out of sight

KINGS OF

EUROPE:

Van Dijk

celebrates

Liverpool’s

Champions

League final

win over

Tottenham

By Dave Maddock

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“Our season starts

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By David McDonnell

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