Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has conceded that the club’s 2025/26 campaign has not unfolded as anticipated, with Champions League qualification via a top-five Premier League finish now representing the minimum acceptable outcome for the season.
Writing in Liverpool’s official matchday programme ahead of the club’s home fixture against Crystal Palace at Anfield, the Dutch centre-back delivered a candid assessment of a season that has consistently fallen below pre-campaign expectations.
“This has not been the season we all wanted or envisaged, but the aim now is to make sure that we end it in a positive manner,” van Dijk wrote. “And that means Champions League qualification. Nothing else will do.”
Under the current Premier League format, a top-five finish is sufficient to secure UEFA Champions League football for the following season. Van Dijk made clear that Liverpool’s squad understands the weight of what remains at stake in the final weeks of the campaign.
“We welcome Crystal Palace to Anfield knowing that victory would put us in a strong position to secure that top-five place, and there can be no excuses from any of us,” the defender continued. “It’s not the target we had in mind at the start of the season, but it’s what we are fighting for now, so we have to deliver, we have to perform and we have to get the three points.”
Van Dijk also referenced Liverpool’s recent derby victory as a source of momentum heading into the crucial run-in. The Reds secured a late win over Everton at Goodison Park the previous weekend, a result the captain described as both timely and significant.
“I hope you all enjoyed last weekend’s win over Everton. There is no better feeling than winning a Merseyside derby, and especially away from home and in the manner that we did, scoring so late. It felt good and it felt important,” he wrote, before addressing the club’s supporters directly.
“We know we haven’t given you guys enough to shout about recently, so it was nice to see you all celebrating a big and important victory in the sunshine. Your support, as ever, means the world to each and every one of us, and we always want to repay it with what we do on the pitch.”
The admission from van Dijk underscores a significant shift in narrative at Anfield. Liverpool entered the 2025/26 season as reigning Premier League champions, having won the title under Arne Slot in his debut campaign in charge. A disastrous defence of that title has prompted questions about the squad’s consistency and depth across a demanding schedule.
The Crystal Palace fixture represents one of several pivotal home matches remaining for Liverpool, with each result carrying direct implications for their European standing next season. Failure to qualify for the Champions League would have considerable financial and sporting consequences for the club, including reduced transfer budgets and diminished appeal to top targets in the summer window.
Van Dijk, who captains both Liverpool and the Netherlands national team, has been one of the club’s more consistent performers during a turbulent domestic campaign. His public acknowledgement of the season’s shortcomings reflects an attempt to refocus expectations and galvanise the squad ahead of the final stretch.
