'We have to improve' - Virgil van Dijk fires warning to his Liverpool team-mates after defensive horror show against Bayern Munich

• Liverpool's defensive struggles continue
• Van Dijk admits team needs improvement
• Liverpool went down 4-3 against Bayern

WHAT HAPPENED? The newly appointed Liverpool captain acknowledged that there is still work to be done before the season starts, reflecting on their 4-3 defeat against Bayern in a pre-season fixture on Wednesday. The Reds had initially taken a two-goal lead with goals from Cody Gakpo and Van Dijk himself. However, Bayern's Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane quickly equalised. Luis Diaz managed to restore Liverpool's lead, but Bayern fought back, with Josip Stanisic leveling the score and Frans Kratzig scoring a dramatic 91st-minute winner for the German side.

The Dutch defender specifically mentioned that Liverpool's defense has been an area of concern, with the team conceding 10 goals in four pre-season games.

WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking to LFCTV after the match, Van Dijk said, "[There's] so many good things and things we have to improve. They [Bayern] are a very good opponent and they punish you if you are not on it for a split second - that is what happened today. [There's] still work to do - and that is what we are going to do.

"We have the quality to punish them if they make a mistake and that's what we did. It doesn't matter that much luckily, it's about the process and we have to learn from certain situations. The games that we played and the training sessions have been intense. We work on set pieces every game. I should be more clinical at times and I am working on that. We want to play at the highest level and compete with these teams and players. They punished us at times and that's how it is. We're still in pre-season and we've had big changes."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Liverpool's pre-season performances have been a mixed bag, with positive attacking displays but significant defensive vulnerabilities. As the team works on integrating new signings and adapting to tactical changes, Van Dijk's call for improvement reflects the club's ambition to remain competitive in top-flight football.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL? Jurgen Klopp's side will play their final pre-season friendly against Darmstadt on August 7 before beginning their Premier League 2023/24 campaign against Chelsea on August 13.