Van Dijk says what we were all thinking

There are plenty of ways a club captain can set the tone ahead of a new season. Platitudes about fresh starts, mentions of hard work in pre-season, the usual. Virgil van Dijk has gone a different route entirely, and frankly, it is exactly what was needed. Writing in his pre-match programme notes ahead of Saturday's visit of Nottingham Forest, the Dutchman did not dress it up, last season was, in his own words, "unacceptable."

It is a bold thing to say publicly, and it matters precisely because it comes from the captain rather than a pundit or a frustrated supporter in the stands. Van Dijk has been at Anfield for a decade now. He knows what this club expects of itself. A fifth-place Premier League finish last season was not it, and he is making sure nobody inside that dressing room is tempted to move on without acknowledging it properly.

Iraola's ideas need time, but Liverpool are pushing hard

There is an important caveat running through Van Dijk's words, though, and it is worth paying attention to. He is not pretending everything will click into place overnight under Andoni Iraola. "When you have a new coach with new plans and new ideas, it is always going to take a bit of time to put those into practice," he wrote, before adding the crucial line: "But it is down to us to do that as quickly as we can."

That combination of patience and urgency is the right note to strike. New ideas need bedding in, that is just the reality of football, but Liverpool cannot afford to spend the first quarter of the season finding their feet while rivals pull away. Van Dijk's message is clear: the players are pushing hard on the training ground, not waiting for the system to arrive fully formed.

The 2-2 draw at Newcastle United last Sunday gave some early indicators of both what Iraola's Liverpool can offer and what still needs work. Van Dijk acknowledged the frustration of the goals conceded but was keen to highlight the character shown in coming back twice. "It was a deserved point in my opinion," he said, measured rather than triumphant, which is the right way to read a draw away at St. James' Park.

Forest arrive with a point to prove at Anfield

Saturday's fixture is no gentle introduction to home life under a new manager. Nottingham Forest arrive at Anfield having won their last two successive league matches there, and Van Dijk is not pretending otherwise. "This will be another tough game, make no mistake. We know how dangerous Nottingham Forest can be," he wrote, calling for the squad to perform at their very best if the three points are to come.

His rallying call comes back to fundamentals: togetherness, hard work, desire and commitment. It might sound straightforward, but after a season in which Liverpool so often looked a side pulling in different directions, those basics carry genuine weight. Van Dijk believes this squad is "much better" than what they showed last year, Saturday afternoon is the first real opportunity to start making that argument on the pitch.

Anfield will be watching closely, and so will every other side in this division.