Dutch national team captain Virgil van Dijk spoke to the NOS after their 1-0 defeat against England in Amsterdam.
- By James Rowe
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The Liverpool defender was named the new Oranje captain on Thursday but his first game with the armband ended in disappointment as England came away from Amsterdam with a 1-0 victory.
Afterwards, van Dijk said, ”We prepared and trained well ahead of tonight’s match and it is disappointing to lose tonight.
”We played against a difficult opponent tonight in a new formation too but that is no excuse for the way in which we lost the ball far too often. We need time.
”Everybody in the squad was motivated to make a good start and everybody has worked hard and did their best.
”We can improve ball possession and in not giving the ball away too much.
”It is clear that the Dutch national team is not currently in the best phase but we played against England tonight. We want to measure ourselves against the best teams in Europe and the world by playing against them in friendly and competitive matches in order to get better.
”I really enjoyed being captain tonight and I was very proud and it gives you an extra boost especially before the match with the squad.”
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