When Liverpool decided to splash a world-record fee for a defender the world made a mockery of them. Fast forward another ten months, Virgil Van Dijk has proved the World why he is worth every penny for Liverpool. The Dutchman has taken Liverpool’s defense to a whole another level.
Gone are the days of Lovren and Matip combining as the center-back pair. With Van Dijk’s arrival, Liverpool has moved on from the defensive woes and those shaky and uncertain moments. It is clear why Jurgen Klopp was so desperate to land the Dutchman despite his hefty price tag of £75m. Along with the Alisson Becker, the world’s most expensive defender has made Defending Liverpool’s stronger trait.
Van Dijk has all the qualities needed in a center-back. He is strong and is great in the air. Despite his physique, he is pacy when taken into consideration his size. He is an excellent tackler and is a brilliant reader of the game. In Van Dijk, we can see a leader who is capable of gelling together the Liverpool defense. It is no wonder why Van Dijk is the first name on the teamsheet for the Reds.
With the arrival of Alisson, Liverpool solved their goalkeeping woes as well. With Alisson guarding the sticks and Van Dijk leading the defense Liverpool boasts an excellent defensive record this time around. So far they have just conceded three goals. The center-back pairing of Gomez and Van Dijk along with the fullback pairing is working well for Liverpool.
Liverpool is unbeaten in the Premier League till now despite the fact that their front-three is yet to shift to their top gear. The credit goes to the excellent defense and Van Dijk’s role in it can’t be unseen. With the excellent going so far will it be Liverpool’s year this time around? Van Dijk can surely make it Liverpool’s year. Forget the price tag, he was the missing piece in the jigsaw for Liverpool. For the ones complaining about the price-tag, “Quality comes at a price”.
