- Reds lost 4-1 to Napoli last week
- Van der Vaart among pundits slating Liverpool
- Van Dijk slammed the critics after Ajax win
WHAT HAPPENED? Plenty of ex-professionals have been quick to pile the pressure on Liverpool this season after their uncharacteristically slow start to the campaign. In the build-up to the win against Ajax, Rafael van der Vaart claimed the Reds are a "very mediocre team" beyond their stars with James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Joe Gomez being picked out and criticised.
WHAT HE SAID: Speaking after the 2-0 victory against the Dutch champions, Van Dijk was asked by BT Sport about the key to Liverpool re-finding their best form. He responded: "Not listening to the outside world, that's the most important thing!
"It's funny sometimes because there's a lot of ex-footballers and they know exactly what we're going through, they say a lot of things to try and get us down. We know exactly that last week [against Napoli] was unacceptable, it was very bad and we tried to make it right."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Liverpool are seventh in the Premier League with just six points separating them from first-placed Arsenal. They are also likely to be second in their Champions League group after Rangers host Napoli on Wednesday.
STORY IN THREE PHOTOS:
Getty Images
Getty Images
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL: After their game against Chelsea at the weekend was postponed, Liverpool will now have to wait more than a fortnight to get back on track in the league. They host Brighton at Anfield on October 1.