Your final dose of daily Liverpool news for this week includes further details from the captain’s ban, the boss speaking ahead of Wolves and two fixture changes for November.
Van Dijk’s red card frustration
Virgil van Dijk will serve the second game of his two-match ban this weekend and the defender has criticised the “inconsistent” nature of officiating in the Premier League.
The Liverpool skipper’s frustrations could be seen in a letter from the club that has been published by the FA, in which it was said that Van Dijk had “genuine belief” that his tackle on Alexander Isak against Newcastle should not have been deemed a foul.
He was sent off by referee John Brooks and his angry reaction to the decision saw his one-game ban doubled.
The Dutchman’s statement regarding the incident has also been made public, in which he says the following:
“Immediately after the match I waited to speak to both Mr Brooks and the 4th Official, Mr Pawson in the tunnel and I apologised directly to both of them for the way that I conducted myself around the time of the red card.
“Mr Brooks and Mr Pawson accepted my apology and acknowledged that they understood the emotion of the game had been a significant factor.”
The boss previews Wolves
- Ibrahima Konate will however be fit having returned to full training after withdrawing from the France squad due to a hamstring issue of his own
- The manager explained why Jordan Henderson left the club and insists that the midfielder told the “truth” about his departure in his recent interview
Latest Liverpool FC news
- Luis Diaz has highlighted two areas for improvement having made “huge” progress since working under Klopp
- Liverpool’s fixture changes for November have been confirmed, with the trip to Luton now Sunday November 5 at 4.30pm and Brentford‘s visit now Sunday November 12 at 2pm. No 12.30pm kick-offs, luckily!
- Sport Napoli have claimed Liverpool are a ‘threat’ in Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s contract negotiations, a far from reliable link but it’s nice to dream!
Premier League update
- Erik ten Hag has claimed there was “no good culture” at Old Trafford before his arrival. Well, it’s a good job he’s fixed that now, isn’t it? (Sky Sports)
- Farhad Moshiri has completed the sale of Everton to 777 Partners. It can only get better for them from here, right? (Guardian)
- Bukayo Saka is fit for Arsenal this weekend having fully recovered from an achilles problem that restricted him to a substitute appearance for England against Scotland (Mirror)
Video of the day and match of the night
We had the pleasure of Peter Crouch’s company on Thursday as he discussed his Liverpool highlights, Xabi Alonso, Rafa Benitez and more.
Take a look!
It is a clash of last season’s relegated clubs in the Championship as Leicester travel to Southampton, which presents a nice chance to laugh at Leicester as they languish in the second tier.
The game kicks off at 8pm (BST) and you can find full coverage over on Sky Sports Main Event.
