Virgil van Dijk faces new Liverpool reality but found legendary ally at perfect time
End-of-season ECHO rankings continue with assessment of Virgil van Dijk’s campaign
By the standards of almost any other defender, Virgil van Dijk has had a good Premier League season in 2022/23.
The problem for the Dutch captain at this stage of his career, however, is that since joining Anfield in January 2018 he has achieved such an unearthly level of consistency that any slight drop now indicates exaggerated levels.
Whether that’s fair or not is debatable, but it’s the reality for Van Dijk at Anfield after inspiring a squad of hopefuls in a side that won every major trophy between 2019 and 2022.
Van Dijk was Liverpool’s best defender last season, although it seemed fashionable to ridicule the Oranje captain. Ibrahima Konaté’s unavailability in a year when he made just 18 league appearances, coupled with the crisis of confidence that has plagued both Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, has allowed the No.4 to to be the most reliable central defender again and the departure of Jürgen clop. But the collective drop that led to fifth place in the league, which is the lowest of Klopp’s seven full seasons, meant that Van Dijk was one of many players, particularly in the first months of the season, who achieved a successful . out for criticism.
“Liverpool defending… I don’t know what I’m seeing right now!” Rio Ferdinand said at one point. “I can’t ignore him. Van Dijk may have been the best defender in the world in recent years. He looks like a shadow of his former self.”
Meanwhile, back in his home country, Van Dijk has had to hear debugging analyzes from iconic names like Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit, as well as the lesser-known Gertjan Verbeek on his role as national team captain. A more nuanced assessment came from legendary Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher after the 2-1 loss to Manchester United in August, when Jadon Sancho’s opening goal was dissected on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football programme.
“That’s the only thing I would ask of Van Dijk as a player,” Carragher said. “If you go through a centre-back’s checklist, he gets a 10 out of 10 on most things.” The only thing I think about sometimes is that he lacks a bit of intensity at times?”
The 5-2 home loss to Real Madrid was certainly the low point, but it was a loss to Bournemouth in March that proved to be the biggest setback for the club’s first four prospects. Van Dijk was far too passive, letting Dango Ouattara pass him before his low cross was deflected by match-winner Philip Billing. Losses to Real Madrid and Manchester City followed before Liverpool turned the tide in April. Van Dijk went nine games unbeaten in 11 in the final weeks of the season and excelled in wins over Fulham, Wolves and Brentford, with the Reds all trailing by one goal.
After initially criticizing Van Dijk’s form earlier in the season, No.4 Liverpool finally realized Carragher was a key ally when the 2005 Champions League winner opened a debate with the former Manchester man United, Nemanja Vidic, fueling the fact that apparently social media was abuzz in April. .
“VVD is way better than Vidic who was a top CB but did you forget his performance against (Fernando) Torres?” Carragher asked on Twitter. “Rio (Ferdinand) and JT (John Terry of Chelsea) have had bad seasons in their careers like all players, VVD is having one now.” No CB in the PL era has ever had the same impact on a team as the VVD.
Liverpool ended their season with 47 goals, their highest in a season under Klopp, and while the lion’s share of the condemnation will inevitably always go to Van Dijk, their chief of defence, there is a feeling the midfielder is more stable and Konate less in particular. , the Reds as a unit will return to the type of defensive performance in which they scored just 22 goals last season, which was the best in Europe’s top five leagues alongside Manchester City.
It’s been a year in which Van Dijk has had to develop thick skin, but he remains one of the continent’s standout defenders and crucial to long-term hopes.