Virgil van Dijk was calling for calm after Liverpool's second setback in a week. The 33-year-old Dutchman has been playing at the highest level long enough to know "how football works" and he was acutely aware that a horribly lethargic display in Sunday's Carabao Cup final loss to Newcastle would spark panic among supporters, given it arrived immediately after the midweek Champions League elimination at the hands of a superior Paris Saint-Germain side.
"In five days, you lose twice and the world is sort of sinking," the Liverpool captain told BBC Radio Merseyside. "Two weeks before, everything was sunshine and rainbows. There's still a lot at stake, though, good things. We're in a good position. There are so many positive and good things to look forward to. We play for the Premier League - the most difficult prize to get."
Van Dijk is correct, of course. Very few people expected Liverpool to be in the title race at this stage of the season - let alone running away with it, with the Reds presently 12 points clear with nine rounds remaining.
Arne Slot winning the title in his first season in charge would be an astounding achievement, particularly as it's been made painfully clear over the past week that his squad will need to be significantly strengthened this summer - even if Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold end up extending contracts that expire at the end of the season (and that's a big 'if' at this stage!).
It's obviously rare to see a potential title-winning team in such dire need of new signings but that's the position Liverpool find themselves in after bringing in just one new face last summer (Federico Chiesa)...
