Thankfully, it was just a misguided way for the club to kick off their annual Christmas campaign, ditching traditional festive iconography for a glowing appraisal of the club's die-hard fans - straight from the players' mouths.
Liverpool fans have been here before, though. It was only eight months ago that Mohamed Salah, arguably the club’s greatest talent of the modern era, was sitting in front of his stacked trophy cabinet, disposable coffee cup in hand, ready to deliver the news that he was leaving the club at the end of the 2025/26 season.
Year after year, we’ve seen more and more of Jurgen Klopp’s super squad posting their farewell videos. Each one leaves fans misty-eyed as some of the club’s greatest moments are replayed as if they were yesterday. Each one is layered with emotional music and commentary tracks dialled up for maximum heartache.
The passage of time makes fools of us all, as we forget (or choose to ignore) that these athletes, assisted by the very pinnacle of sports science, get old like the rest of us. They all inevitably reach a point where they are no longer at the level required for a top-tier side.
Unfortunately, with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2027, we may soon reach that stage with Van Dijk.
His season-average Flashscore ratings since Klopp’s penultimate season actually show a positive trajectory, but anyone watching the individual games can see that he’s not the brick wall he once was.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s acceptable for him to have a bad day at the office. Liverpool fans have to accept there will be more of them as time goes on, and again, that’s perfectly normal and fine.
At some point soon, though, the Liverpool top brass will have to answer the question: what comes next?
Centre-back options
Joe Gomez is part of the Liverpool furniture. So much so that some may forget he wasn’t an academy product and was actually brought into the fold from Charlton back in 2015. He, like van Dijk, has a contract until June 2027. With his unfortunate injury record, his chance of a renewal isn't great.
Casual football fans could be forgiven for never hearing the name Giovanni Leoni before. Having played only 81 minutes for the Reds, the former Parma starlet has been sidelined for a year with an ACL injury. He’s young, promising, but still too raw to step into Virgil’s shoes.
Another promising star this season has been Jeremy Jacquet. The Frenchman has been a delight to watch since arriving on Merseyside, but, in my opinion, he still feels too inexperienced to fill the Van Dijk void.
Then there’s the elephant in the room: Ronald Araujo. We’ve all heard the saying ad nauseam by now: never fall in love with a loan player. I’ve ignored the warnings and fallen head over heels for the Uruguayan.
Not since Van Dijk smashed in that towering header on his Liverpool debut against Everton have I felt so comfortable embracing a new signing. Unfortunately, as things stand, he will be off Liverpool's books on 1 June 2027.
It’s impossible to know in which direction the decision-makers will go. That said, the no-brainer option, as far as many fans are concerned, is to bring Araujo into the team long-term. There are probably more data-driven top picks on the market, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find another candidate with the experience he brings to the side - until Jacquet, Leoni, or any one of the academy centre-backs is ready to step up. Whether Barcelona would allow it, however, is a different story.
The captaincy debacle
Alisson and Gomez make up two-thirds of the club’s designated vice-captaincy group and, normally, that would put them next in line. Andoni Iraola has long stated that the laws of the game make it impossible for goalkeepers to fulfil a captain's duties within the 90 minutes, making Alisson’s role more an honorary title. The shot-stopper’s contract is also set to expire next summer and, with his camp showing signs of one day leaving Merseyside behind, logic would dictate that he, too, will be heading through the revolving door with Gomez and Van Dijk.
That leaves the third option. Dominik Szoboszlai has seemed like the heir to the throne for a while now, with his Gerrard-esque demeanour and ‘grab the game by the scruff of its neck’ attitude. Despite his recent contract extension, his struggles in midfield, visible frustration with occasional right-back duties and pre-season bust-up with Curtis Jones have soured things.
While it’s not the whole consensus, and such episodes haven't ruled him out, one would hope that accession to the role of club captain would mellow him out a little. After all, being cool, calm and collected are the essential traits Virgil has brought to the table for some years.
Ultimately, the hierarchy of power in the Liverpool squad is about to change. With the current balance of top talent being seemingly squeezed into an unoptimised system, it’s never been more essential for whoever steps into Van Dijk’s size 12 boots to hit the ground running.