New Liverpool Defence Needs Time to Click: Virgil Van Dijk

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says his side's rebuilt defence will need time to gel though he praised new arrivals Ronald Araujo and Jeremy Jacquet as strong additions.

The departures of Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson, plus Joe Gomez's pre-season injury and forced Liverpool to overhaul their backline. The club signed Uruguay defender Araujo on a season-long loan from Barcelona also Frenchman Jacquet joined earlier this year after a February transfer.

Both featured in Liverpool's 2-0 friendly win over Como at Anfield on Sunday with Jacquet scoring in his first appearance since a shoulder injury at Rennes. Araujo replaced him at half-time following his own move from Barcelona last week.

"I think Jacquet did well, same as Ronald. It's a good start" Van Dijk said. He added that partnerships are built through matches not training despite language differences and all three defenders understand the game well enough to communicate on the pitch.

"It's clear you need time to form a connection. That's absolutely normal but hopefully we can get there quickly" he said.

The win over Como capped Liverpool's pre-season after back-to-back defeats to Leeds United and Monaco where the team twice surrendered two-goal leads. Van Dijk acknowledged fitness and game-management issues but said the squad showed clear improvement against Como.

Liverpool, who finished fifth last season and open their Premier League campaign away at Newcastle United on August 23.