"Virgil van Dijk couldn't be less excited to play alongside him" - Pundit makes claim about Liverpool star while explaining why Reds lost to Brentford

Pundit Alejandro Moreno offered a scathing assessment of Liverpool’s performance following their 3-2 defeat to Brentford, singling out Milos Kerkez for lacking cohesion and understanding in his defensive partnership with Virgil van Dijk.

Liverpool’s defensive woes were once again exposed as they found themselves behind just five minutes in. Centre-back Ibrahima Konate was a culprit for the second goal, as he easily gave up the chase on Kevin Schade after they were caught on the counter. Captain Van Dijk proved to be his side’s undoing in the second half as he conceded a penalty.

During his punditry duties on ESPN FC, Moreno argued that Liverpool’s lack of collective energy was a major factor behind their disappointing display.

"There is no special sauce in this team right now,” Moreno said. “You see the behaviour of the Brentford players when they block Mo Salah's shot and other instances where they clear the danger, they're all celebrating, coming together and giving each other high-fives.. they're excited to be around each other. Van Dijk couldn't be less excited to play alongside Kerkez. Every time Kerkez plays the ball back, Van Dijk is like, ‘Ah, You okay? you gotta be kidding me’. That tells the difference between the two teams"

The result meant Liverpool fell to four consecutive Premier League defeats for the first time since 2021. They also fell outside the top four and currently sit sixth in the league table.

“It’s tough to take” – Virgil van Dijk on Liverpool’s 3-2 loss to Brentford

Van Dijk admitted being ‘disappointed’ after their defeat to Brentford on Saturday night. The Dutch defender spoke about each of the goals they conceded and summed up his frustration, describing it as a ‘very disappointing night overall.’

He told reporters:

“Disappointed. Disappointed for losing here. We know obviously what their strengths were and what they obviously look to try to do. The first goal is something obviously we knew, so we have to be spot on in that - it's a quality of them. Then the second goal to concede is obviously not great. Then the penalty. It was just a very disappointing night overall for us. It's tough to take but it's the reality and we have to keep going.”

Regarding the penalty decision against him, Van Dijk expressed confusion, noting that a free kick has initially been awarded.