Virgil van Dijk admits Liverpool have faced some “hard talking” in the wake of the abysmal defeat at Manchester City that has heightened fears of missing out on Champions League qualification.

The Reds were back at the AXA Training Centre on Sunday barely 24 hours after their top-four aspirations suffered a blow with a dismal 4-1 reverse at the Etihad.

Mohamed Salah had given the visitors an early lead before a shocking second-half display saw Liverpool slump to their ninth Premier League defeat of the campaign – matching their worst total ever under Jurgen Klopp with still 11 games to play.

In the immediate aftermath of the game, Klopp indicated he had nothing to say to his players before the scheduled meeting on Sunday, in which the Reds’ performance was scrutinised in a no-holds-barred discussion involving players and coaching staff.

And Van Dijk, who was one of several Liverpool players way below his best form at the Etihad, admits the talks could be critical with Klopp’s side back in action at Chelsea on Tuesday.

“If you’re losing the way we lost, then definitely there will be some hard talking,” he said. “That’s really normal, we’re grown men and we’ll see. The turnaround is quite quick, with Chelsea on Tuesday, so Sunday’s a big day.”

Liverpool have qualified for the Champions League for the last six seasons – going on to reach the final three times – but slumped to eighth place in the Premier League at the weekend.

And of Liverpool’s top-four chances, Van Dijk said: “We’ll see, game by game. First let’s recover and then regroup and then we’ll focus on Chelsea.

“It was a tough afternoon, definitely. Very frustrated. That’s the feeling. We’re trying, we’re trying. I think the first half was quite even, obviously a fantastic goal by Mo, they scored a good goal as well. Second half at 2-1 was a big blow and a very frustrating second half.

“I think, with or without (Erling) Haaland, it’s always going to be a tough game. (Julian) Alvarez is a very good player, for the present but also for the future of their club. Haaland obviously has also been doing quite well, the amount he scored so far has been very influential.”

Van Dijk has endured a difficult few weeks having been criticised in his native Holland after their 4-0 Euro 2024 qualifying defeat in France. The Champions League, Club World Cup and Premier League winner was dubbed a “first-class wimp” by former Dutch manager Gertjan Verbeek, who guided Adelaide City to the Australia Cup in 2019.

And when asked if some of the criticism was disgraceful, Van Dijk responded: “That’s your words. I just keep going, focus on my performances and try to be as good as I can.”