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Virgil van Dijk admits PSG onslaught 'always expected' as Liverpool lose first leg
Liverpool find themselves on the verge of being eliminated from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain for the second year in a row after the Premier League side fell 2-0 on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Parc des Princes.
The Reds were often on the wrong end of one-way traffic as the Parisians looked to penetrate Liverpool's five-man back line, and the two-goal difference could be seen as fortunate given the lopsided statistical advantage held by the home side.
However, a top-notch goalkeeping performance by Giorgi Mamardashvili kept things respectable ahead of next week's second leg at Anfield, and after Wednesday's match Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk admitted that his team expected the non-stop PSG attack.
"Tough, tough work," Van Dijk told TNT Sports. "Always expected. I think we defended with a lot of bodies around the box.
"Unfortunately, the first goal is a deflection. We get some small moments on the break where we could have done better."
Van Dijk explained that the defensive set-up by the visitors was intended to stifle PSG's vaunted front line, but that the execution did not go according to plan.
"They always move around everywhere," he said. "We have to communicate and follow your man and take risks in that sense. As well and wait for the right moment to win the ball.
"Hopefully, we can be much better, especially in possession at Anfield."
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