Liverpool player Virgil van Dijk is refusing to talk about the Premier League title race with Chelsea and Manchester City.
Liverpool beat Aston Villa 1-0 at Anfield on Saturday to make it seven victories in succession across all competitions.
That defeat by West Ham United in November has really kick-started Jurgen Klopp’s side – who won the Premier League in 2020 – but Chelsea and Manchester City are also looking worryingly resilient.
Pep Guardiola’s side sit top of the standings and one point ahead of the second-placed Reds, who themselves are only one point clear of Thomas Tuchel’s Londoners back in third.
It’s shaping up to be a fascinating second half of the campaign, but Liverpool stalwart Van Dijk has cooled talk of that just now, insisting that he and his teammates at Anfield are taking things one game at a time.
He told BBC Sport after beating Aston Villa: “I don’t know. That’s something we shouldn’t talk about. We focus on the game ahead of us.The three teams are going quite well at the moment but the season is long.”
Intelligent
This is a clever approach by the Liverpool powerhouse.
There’s no doubt that nobody on Merseyside – or Jurgen Klopp – would want their players talking about the Premier League title after only 16 games.
There are so many games to play, so many twists and turns because honestly, Manchester City and Chelsea are looking fantastic this season.
Therefore, it would be a mistake to start talking about the title race this early in public because let’s be honest, nobody at the Etihad or Stamford Bridge will be.
Taking it one game at a time is the smart way to do this.
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