Virgil Van Dijk shares what he’s now doing to try and ‘help the atmosphere’ at Anfield

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Virgil van Dijk has admitted to making a small change to Liverpool’s pre-match routine since taking over as captain.

The Dutchman has made a good start as the new Reds’ skipper. One red card against Newcastle United aside, Virgil has been much more like his old self this season.

Perhaps part of that could be down to the responsibility of taking on the armband. And in quotes from the Liverpool ECHO, it seems that the 32-year-old is already getting across his own ideas.

Having enjoyed a pre-match huddle during his days at Celtic, Van Dijk says he’s now instilled the same thing at Anfield.

“It was something that we did when I was a Celtic player and I always liked it because I thought it set the tone for the game and it also gave the crowd a signal that we were ready to go,” says the centre-back.

“It can also help the atmosphere with it being so close to the match starting.

“So, if our fans want to join in by building up the noise and adding to the sense of anticipation I certainly won’t complain, even if it makes it difficult for me to make myself hear

Captain Virgil making his mark

After eight years of Jordan Henderson’s leadership, it’s nice to have a fresh start in the captain department this season.

Not only has Henderson departed, but James Milner obviously has, too. That’s the captain and vice-captain since 2015 no longer at the club.

With Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold stepping into the breach, things were always going to be a little different.

Although he’s worn the armband for Liverpool many times before, Virgil’s style is not particularly similar to Henderson’s. Whereas Jordan was a shouter, Van Dijk feels like he’s more in the ‘lead by example’ mould.

Milner was a very vocal presence on the pitch, too. As a result, the change in captaincy has been much more than just passing the armband from one bicep to the next.

Van Dijk is obviously keen to do things his own way. Although this is a subtle change from previous years, it’s also something the Dutchman has clearly very consciously decided to do. That’s a good sign.

As for the Anfield atmosphere, well, it doesn’t necessarily seem to have helped. Saturday’s Merseyside Derby was another example of the stadium sounding flat and disengaged for much of the match. It can’t be down to the players to sort that out, but maybe little things like this can help.