Theo Walcott claims Virgil van Dijk is under more pressure at Liverpool now than ever before

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Liverpool lost their third consecutive match against Chelsea on Sunday, and Virgil van Dijk will be feeling the pressure at Anfield.

The Reds have not looked convincing at all this season and relied on late goals to get the side over the line in matches, but those have since dried up.

Van Dijk’s 92nd-minute goal against Atletico Madrid secured a 3-2 win in the Champions League opener prior to the shocking 1-0 loss away at Galatasaray.

However, it would be Estevao Willian’s 95th-minute goal to decide the result on Sunday, eight days after Eddie Nketiah scored in the same minute to inflict an identical 2-1 loss for Arne Slot’s men.

While a lot of speculation has surfaced regarding what the exact problems are at Anfield that have led to his barren spell, it appears the losses are not entirely attributed to the summer signings.

Virgil van Dijk has more responsibility than ever at Liverpool

When discussing Liverpool’s latest setback on the It’s Called Soccer podcast, former Arsenal player Theo Walcott believes the captain must set an example for the new signings on what it means to play for the club.

“I think it’s more that players like Virgil van Dijk are actually having a lot more responsibility than they ever have done. And he has a lot of responsibility anyway in that whole football club, but now he’s realising, actually — god, we’ve got five, six, seven new signings that don’t understand what it means to play for Liverpool.

“And I think that’s what it is — it’s not understanding what it means. Because I see Wirtz running around like he wants that time on the ball, and I said this a few weeks back — you don’t get time in the Premier League. And people like Frimpong, you’ve got to adapt to and get the best out of Mo Salah.”

Mohamed Salah has been slammed for his work ethic following the loss at Stamford Bridge, as Chelsea consistently targeted the right flank throughout the clash.

The Egyptian has looked a shadow of his former self this season, but he, alongside van Dijk, must help the new signings settle into life at Anfield as quickly as possible to help overturn their fortunes.

Furthermore, van Dijk has been dubbed more important than Salah to Liverpool’s success, and while the champions have kept only two clean sheets across their last 10 outings, the centre-back has been one of the few standout performers in the backline.

Van Dijk can lead Liverpool to more silverware this season, but the captain cannot be expected to carry the burden alone and will need the help of his long-standing and new teammates to prove the recent results are merely a blip once club football resumes after the international break.

Liverpool are in trouble of falling further behind Arsenal

The Reds have now allowed Arsenal to move one point clear at the top of the Premier League table after holding a five-point lead over their rivals prior to the loss against Crystal Palace.

While the title race is far from over heading into the international break, the Gunners have a favourable run of fixtures in comparison to Liverpool and could extend their lead even further should performances at Anfield not improve.

And although Walcott named Liverpool as his favourites to win the title again this season, he believes the players must start improving sooner than expected to avoid another failed title defence.

“Liverpool were my favourites, and they still are not performing well. But they’re only, what, a point off Arsenal, right, without actually performing at a high level.

“And then we were expecting Liverpool to perform around, you know, the Christmas period, when their squad would really take shape, I would have thought. But I think they all have to look at each other and think, actually, no — we need to start doing better. We need to be doing more.”