Van Dijk: Liverpool not playing to 'keep jobs'

Virgil van Dijk does not believe the squad are playing for their futures as Liverpool seek to get their season back on track in the final four months.

Five wins in 18 league matches have left Arne Slot's side two points behind fourth-placed Manchester United and defeat at Bournemouth last weekend was a setback after a spell of stability.

Midweek qualification for the Champions League round of 16 provided a confidence boost but the truth is there has been underperformance throughout the squad.

Only two players -- Ibrahima Konaté and Andy Robertson -- are out of contract in the summer but deals for Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker, Curtis Jones, Joe Gomez and Wataru Endo all expire in 2027.

There is likely to be some natural wastage within that group as the squad is refreshed but Van Dijk said the current motivation was not to secure personal futures.

"I think the reality is some players are running out of contract, some players still have a year after this, like myself, but we have to see how the season goes and how it's going to end," Van Dijk said ahead of the visit of Newcastle.

"Hopefully it's successful, but it's not about players playing to keep their jobs. I still think we have very good players."

Earlier this week former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said the squad, which benefited from £450 millon ($619m) of investment in the summer, was not equipped to handle the demands of the Premier League.

It is difficult to argue with that in terms of results -- by contrast they have won six out of eight in Europe -- but Van Dijk insisted they were able to compete domestically.

"I think we are well equipped to deal with the demands of the Premier League," added the Liverpool captain, who admitted he felt responsible for Saturday's defeat at Bournemouth.

"The difficulty we're having at the moment is that we don't have the consistency. We can't, so far, build enough on good performances that we have during this season."

On the criticism he added: "The only thing I feel is the responsibility to perform.

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"So, when I came home, after that [Bournemouth] game, I was obviously very disappointed. I felt very responsible for the difficult night that we had.

"But the responsibility I feel is to turn it around and be the best version of myself again because that's what everyone expects from me."