Erling Haaland has just provided a conclusive response to the most important Virgil van Dijk query ever.
Is Virgil van Dijk currently playing at his peak for Liverpool? Erling Haaland of Manchester City might lean toward answering in the affirmative.
Erling Haaland’s dash through Anfield’s post-match mixed zone on Sunday was swift enough to have one specific media knave crack a joke.
It was teasingly stated that it was the sharpest change of pace the Manchester City striker had displayed all day as he dashed through the opposition with his head sunk and refused to pause to discuss the thrilling draw he had just been a part of.

The one-liner was met with amusement from some but there was also a kernel of truth to the put-down given the expert shackling of arguably the world’s best frontman at Anfield by Virgil van Dijk and Jarell Quansah. That, in fact, might have formed part of the conversation had the City man actually stopped to speak.

Haaland’s only goal at Anfield remains the back-post tap-in he registered for Red Bull Salzburg in a 4-3 win for Liverpool in October 2019 and while he has only turned out twice for City at the venue they like least in English football – just one behind-closed-doors win there in over 20 years – the Norway international once more looked a pale imitation of the irrepressible goal machine who usually etches his name on to the scoresheet one way or another

If the one criticism of Haaland is that he is sometimes anonymous in the bigger games when a more sizable contribution than simply supplying the finishing touch is needed, that perhaps does a disservice to the centre-backs tasked with stopping him.

Certainly in the case of Van Dijk, who was flawless once more in an unfamiliar back five that saw him as the only recognised ‘first choice’ for Jurgen Klopp. The first-half chance for Haaland to turn and run at a player nine years his senior was a fascinating passage of play from a game that captured the imagination all day.

For just a fleeting few moments, the unstoppable force met the immovable object and the chance ended with Van Dijk shepherding Haaland just wide enough for his strike to be easily clutched at by Kelleher. In a game that saw the City No.9 register just 22 touches, about a quarter of them were used in his unsuccessful dart towards goal during that phase.

Given the Van Dijk was asked to skipper a back four that had a back-up goalkeeper behind it in Caoimhin Kelleher, Joe Gomez in only his third favourite position of left-back and inexperienced duo of Quansah and Conor Bradley on the right of it, there is an argument to be made that this was one of the standout performances of the No.4’s entire time with the Reds. Certainly when you consider that Liverpool maintained their high-line approach throughout the game too against the treble-hunting current champions of England and Europe.

The statistics, against the most feared striker of his generation, only highlight why those claims are not necessarily bathed in hyperbole. The captain won 100% of his aerial duels, completed 77 of his 79 passes – including several raking, trademark diagonals to the right wing – and two last-man tackles to deny the visitors.

He won possession five times in total and was on the winning end of five of his eight duels. A perfectly-timed tackle to deny Phil Foden a counter-attack on the halfway line was cheered like a goal, while one expert header from under his own crossbar, with Haaland lurking, was an important intervention.

“The great centre-backs if you sort of look at the Premier League era, Tony Adams, John Terry, these types of figures for their clubs (Arsenal and Chelsea) and that is what Virgil van Dijk is for Liverpool; the great centre-backs don’t just play their own game, you can control a whole back four,” Reds legend Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports after the game.

“Now when you look at Liverpool’s back four for this game, everyone in the stadium was thinking: ‘Oooh, it’s Manchester City, it’s De Bruyne, it’s Haaland’. But even though Quansah was outstanding, brilliant, he can concentrate on his own game. That’s enough for him because of who he is up against and because he is such a young player. But the greats look after you at the back and that is why Virgil van Dijk was Man of the Match.

“I was speaking to the lads (Sky Sports pundits) as the game was going on and [Van Dijk] is up against Haaland as well. Haaland is the best centre-forward in the world. For me Virgil van Dijk is right up there too in terms of centre-backs and I made a comment off-air and I don’t know if you might agree with me but I actually think Van Dijk is a better centre-back than Haaland is a striker. That is how highly I rate Van Dijk, I think he is absolutely outstanding.”

Van Dijk has embraced the official status as Liverpool’s on-field leader this term and the decision to hand the defender the captain’s armband after Jordan Henderson’s departure was probably the first inspired decision of many this term from Klopp.

It has helped squeeze even more from the centre-back’s performances and in the scramble to anoint a Premier League Player of the Season, the claims of Van Dijk cannot be overlooked too easily, even for defenders, who are rarely as cherished as their attacking counterparts.

“Like I’ve said many times in recent weeks, we have to just enjoy the ride,” Van Dijk said after Sunday’s draw saw them go level on points with new league leaders Arsenal. “I said it to the boys, if you think back 12 months where we were and the struggles we had, ups and downs, the consistency that was missing, and look where we are right now.

“It’s something we don’t take for granted because sometimes in life, in football these things happen and I want to make sure we enjoy this as well, and I think [in the] second half we certainly did.”

 

Back to his best? It’s hard to make the argument that he is not now. Just ask Haaland.