What Virgil van Dijk is showing in the 2022/23 season is far below the high standards that experts set for the Dutch midfielder.
Losing four goals to Man City is not a new thing in England. But the way the Liverpool defense performed in the match in the 29th round of the Premier League on April 1 was clearly a disappointment.
In particular, Virgil van Dijk is one of the faces to receive criticism. The Dutch star failed to show leadership qualities and lost control of the defense, leading to Liverpool’s heaviest defeat since the 2-5 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League on February 21.
Unstable performance
On the field, Van Dijk still plays hard. The Dutch midfielder dominated in the air, creating many reasonable saves and interceptions, while launching precise passes from left to right to Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
But that is not enough for a team that has many uncertainties of Liverpool this season. Before Man City, “The Kop” did not show personality. The team is no longer sharp in ɑttack and uncertain in defence.
Somber faces appeared after Alisson Becker entered the net to pick up the ball for the 4th time. Van Dijk’s ability to motivate was also not shown. The Anfield team could not recover from the consecutive “punches” of Man City.
“A captain has to think and boost the morale of his teammates. But Van Dijk looks stuck. He creates chaos and misunderstandings on the pitch. A captain should avoid things like this,” legend Marco van Basten criticized his juniors last week.
Van Basten is among the Dutch legends unhappy with Van Dijk’s performance. Earlier, Ruud Gullit said that the Liverpool midfielder played too safely in important matches: “He looks like he is not responsible for the ball in his foot. Van Dijk often passes and does not dare to make a risky choice. “.
Van Dijk’s low form affects Liverpool’s performance.
Van Dijk’s decline was evident in Liverpool’s 2-5 defeat to Real on February 21. The positions of Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold were constantly exploited by Real but Van Dijk was unable to do anything to correct mistakes from teammates.
Liverpool have conceded 33 goals in 27 Premier League games this season, seven more than in the entire 2021/22 season. In the season that Liverpool won the championship (2019/20), the team conceded 33 goals after 38 matches but scored 85 goals, the number is almost double the current season (48 goals).
Of course, it’s not entirely possible to blame Van Dijk when other individuals in the Liverpool defence also performed poorly. Before Man City, Alexander-Arnold was mocked for his “lack of defense” when he repeatedly let Jack Grealish and his teammates overcome. The remaining central defenders like Gomez, Ibrahima Konate or Joel Matip also play unstable.
Van Dijk could not stop Man City’s cohesive ɑttack.
Goal believes Van Dijk is a victim of himself. The Dutch midfielder simply doesn’t meet the high standards of a player who won the 2019 Ballon d’Or. This is the Dutch midfielder’s first bad season in years. Therefore, the decline of Van Dijk is more prominent and attracts more attention.
Momentary decline?
Liverpool fans expect this to be just Van Dijk’s temporary decline. After the 2022 World Cup, he suffered a hamstring injury and had to miss 6 weeks. This caused the Dutch midfielder to play erratically. “The Kop” needs the level of the Dutch midfielder to compete for a place in the top 4 of the Premier League this season.
In the top English league, it is difficult to exclude Van Dijk from the top 5 best centre-backs. Not many central defenders are as good at fιghting and fightιng as the 31-year-old. Goal said that even the top strikers in the tournament like Erling Haaland or Marcus Rashford are afraid to face Van Dijk.
Being in the FIFA The Best 2022 Team of the Year shows that Van Dijk is still valuable in the eyes of football experts around the world. Whether this presence generates much controversy.
Liverpool’s success over the years has been built on the collective strength of Jurgen Klopp’s hands. Van Dijk is an important piece of the puzzle, setting the stage for big turning points. It’s time for the “The Kop” coaching staff to fix the puzzle pieces to make the “machine” work better. Besides, Van Dijk must quickly recover after the period of losing himself.