After the elimination of Liverpool in the Champions League, Virgil van Dijk cannot escape the necessary criticism in the English media. The centre-back, like the rest of the team, is not in the best phase of his career and has struggled with vulnerability in the rear for some time. According to Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen, the inconsistency of the team is the basis of the dip in form for the the Dutch captain.
Since his arrival from Southampton in 2018, Van Dijk has become an integral part of Liverpool’s rearguard. However, the strongholder was exposed last week during the 2-5 defeat at home against Real Madrid and saw the elimination completed on Wednesday evening at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (1-0). Last weekend, Van Dijk also did not make a resounding impression when visiting Bournemouth (1-0).
“There are phases in your career when things don’t go according to plan,” Ferdinand concludes BT Sports. “But if you look at great centre-backs like Vidic, Kompany, Campbell, Terry and Jaap Stam… Those guys didn’t have bad seasons or an eight or nine game dip in form. Sometimes you’re only as good as the team around you. Dijk has not let the team perform in the way that suits his style of play.”
Owen agrees with that conclusion, pointing out how the volatility at Liverpool has exposed Van Dijk’s play. “If Liverpool are playing well, he doesn’t have much to do. Then they win the ball in the opponents’ half. The problem is that it doesn’t work. If the team doesn’t function, it becomes a lot more difficult. He is often exposed to the one-on-one. When Liverpool play well you don’t even notice him and he mops up everything.”
According to Ferdinand, Liverpool have not done customer loyalty and they can ignore the arrival of Jude Bellingham for the time being. “If Liverpool make it to Bellingham, Stevie Gerrard and you (Michael Owen and Peter Crouch) will have swam across the channel to get him. I think if he saw this tonight, he must have thought: if Real Madrid and Liverpool are in the running for me, there’s only one place to go!’‘