Van Dijk: Liverpool's defense needs time

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said the team’s new defensive line will need some time to reach their best levels, despite praising recent signings Ronald Araujo and Jeremy Doku, describing them as “good players.”

Liverpool were forced to rebuild their defense following the departures of Ibrahima Konaté and Andy Robertson, as well as a muscle injury sustained by Joe Gomez in the team’s first match of the pre-season preparations.

The club bolstered its defensive options by signing Uruguay international Araujo on a one-year loan from Barcelona, while Frenchman Doku joined during the summer after the club had finalized his transfer in February.

Araujo and Doku featured in a 2-0 friendly win over Italian side Como at Anfield on Sunday, with Doku scoring one of the goals.

When asked about how to build strong partnerships with his new teammates, Van Dijk told reporters: “By playing matches. I’m not saying it’s the only way, but matches are very different from training.”

He added: “Clearly, Jeremy’s English level, in my opinion, is slightly better than Ronald’s, but ultimately we are all high-level players who can read different situations and sense what needs to be done defensively at certain moments.”

He continued: “It’s certain that we need to build harmony and cohesion among ourselves, and this will take some time, but I see this as completely natural, and I hope we can achieve it as quickly as possible.”

Liverpool, who finished fifth last season, begin their Premier League campaign against Newcastle United on August 23.