'It hurts' - Virgil van Dijk bemoans Liverpool's 'killer' issue Leeds United can exploit

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has admitted the reigning Premier League champions are working to deal with a serious issue that Leeds United could expose when the two sides meet at Anfield on New Years Day.

After battling with inconsistency during the early months of their title defence, Arne Slot’s side appear to be finding their stride after going unbeaten in their last six Premier League fixtures and real momentum has been built up by successive wins against Brighton and Hove Albion, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers over the last fortnight.

The upturn in form has taken the Reds into the top four of the table - although they are still sitting ten points adrift of current leaders and title favourites Arsenal. There is one deficiency that continues to hamper Van Dijk and his team-mates in their bid to rein in the Gunners and that came to the fore in a narrow Anfield win against a Wolverhampton Wanderers side with just two points to their name this season.

After seizing the initiative through an opener from midfielder Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz’s first Premier League goal, the Reds were pegged back six minutes into the second-half when Santiago Bueno fired home after the hosts were punished for the inability to defend from a corner. That was the twelfth time Liverpool have conceded from a set-piece this season and that is the joint-highest in the Premier League alongside Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest. Encouragingly for Leeds fans, the Whites sit at the top of the table for set-piece goals scored in English football’s top flight this season - and that is why Van Dijk has urged his Liverpool team-mates to work hard on the training pitch to improve their defending ahead of their meeting with Daniel Farke’s men.

The Netherlands international said: "There have been plenty of games when we have defended [set-pieces] very well. But the fact is, we've conceded too many set-piece goals and we don't score enough. It's about repetition, training, analysing... it's something we have to improve. I'd say at least 75 per cent of the time or even more, it's not even about the first contact, it's the second phase that is the killer.

"Is it a mental thing? I hope not. If that's in your head then it's an issue. Personally, it's not in my head. We have defended so many set-pieces very well. But the fact is we've conceded too many goals like that and it hurts. We have to improve that. Training is the only way to get better at it."

Daniel Farke on Leeds United set-pieces during the draw with Sunderland

Speaking to the club website in the aftermath of the draw at the Stadium of Light, the Whites boss said: “No other team has come away with a better result here so far in this Premier League season. Sunderland are unbeaten here at home, so it is definitely a good point. The performance from minute 30 on, I think we dominated this game. Mood-wise, I am a bit in-between. We got so much praise for our win last weekend when we scored four goals out of set pieces. I think we forgot a bit to show also the second part of our DNA.

“The second part of our DNA in football is to dominate the ball, to be brave on the ball and to be proactive to take the game to the opponents and to create chances to score goals. This is what we did then more or less from minute 30 on. The goal, excellent team goal, was a consequence out of this, and I have to give lots of credit for this away performance from minute 30 on. We take the point, it is a good point, especially coming back out of a losing position but no dancing tonight, because it was definitely also possible [to win].”

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