Virgil van Dijk was at the scene of the crime far too many times during Liverpool’s shambolic last-gasp defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Reds’ captain has had a disappointing season by his own sky-high standards and must shoulder at least some of the responsibility for another Liverpool collapse.
The first Bournemouth goal was completely of his own making as Van Dijk failed to deal with a simple ball over the top. That changed the trajectory of the game, and although he did manage to get on the scoresheet, his work at the back was rickety all evening.
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Who was Liverpool’s worst player as they fell to a pathetic loss against Bournemouth?
Mohamed Salah chases the ball during Liverpool's Premier League match against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
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Perhaps there is some mitigation in that he was playing with an unfamiliar partner in Wataru Endo for much of the match, but that is exactly the type of situation in which Liverpool need their skipper to step up.
Unfortunately, Van Dijk could not rise to the challenge, and according to former Reds defender Steve Nicol, there can be no excuse for turning in such an insipid performance.
No excuses for Virgil van Dijk – Steve Nicol
Although one player is never solely to blame for a litany of errors such as the passage of play which led to Bournemouth’s winning goal, Van Dijk is the leader of Liverpool’s defence and you want to see him take charge in those scenarios.
The Dutchman failed to do that, and according to Nicol, Arne Slot’s excuse of tiredness amongst his players does not stack up either.
Virgil van Dijk complains to the referee after Liverpool concede a goal against Bournemouth in the Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium.
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
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“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Van Dijk have a worse game in a Liverpool jersey. He was involved in all three of the goals,” Nicol said on ESPN FC.
“Anybody playing against Liverpool, all they need to do is put the ball in the box and it’s chaos, because nobody’s in charge. The goalkeeper’s not in charge, Van Dijk’s not in charge, nobody trusts each other, everybody’s wondering where to be. It’s just chaos. So, you end up losing a goal like they did at the end because it’s just chaos.
“His [Slot’s] excuse [of tiredness] doesn’t excuse the mistakes that Van Dijk made today. If you’re going to be called a world-class centre-back you can’t make those types of mistakes whether you’re tired or not. And if you are tired, then what you do is you do the basics well, you don’t do anything fancy, you try and cut your running down to save your energy, you use your brain because the guy’s clearly got one, we’ve seen it over the last seven or eight years.”
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There were some AWFUL performances vs Bournemouth
Virgil van Dijk complains after Liverpool concede against Bournemouth during the Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium (Credit: Getty Images/Catherine Ivill - AMA).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Catherine Ivill – AMA
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“But today he was awful, it was his worst game for Liverpool, no question.”
Will Van Dijk be given a rest?
When Slot spoke post-match about having to rely on the same players over and over again, Van Dijk is the first person who springs to mind.
Put together, Liverpool’s decision not to sign a centre-back this January, Ibrahima Konate’s leave of compassion and Joe Gomez’s latest injury mean that the 34-year-old is now Slot’s only available senior centre-back.
Endo actually did well next to him on Saturday and Liverpool could use Ryan Gravenberch in defence as well, but clearly Van Dijk has to play.
Ordinarily, Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Qarabag might feel like a good time to give the captain a little rest, but there is no chance of that in Liverpool’s current situation.
So, tired or not, Nicol is right, Van Dijk needs to re-find his form and emerge as the leader everybody knows he can be.
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