Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk hasn’t been immune to fair criticism, with Alan Shearer the latest to call the Dutchman into question.
In the build-up to Liverpool’s Friday night clash with Wolves, Shearer was discussing the challenges facing the reigning champions.
Going forward, we haven’t had quality production from any of the attackers, maybe bar Hugo Ekitike. Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo have struggled in 2026.
But that’s not the main issue, according to Shearer.
Who was YOUR Man of the Match in Liverpool’s win over Wolves? 😁
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team's second goal with teammate Dominik Szoboszlai and Andrew Robertson during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool
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Alan Shearer identifies Liverpool’s biggest problem and the Virgil van Dijk piece
It’s not often Van Dijk is the subject of scrutiny. The captain has been one of Liverpool’s best players for almost a decade, and his talent coupled with elite leadership means he is usually getting plaudits.
But this hasn’t been his best season, and Shearer identifies that as one of the key issues for Arne Slot to fix.
He said on BBC Sport before the game: “Liverpool have been weak defensively at times. When you look all over the park, defensively, you have to look at midfield and how the forwards press. There is no doubt Virgil van Dijk has not been as good as he has been.”
Virgil van Dijk for Liverpool in the Champions League
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Results play a huge part in the perception of a player. When Liverpool are winning, it’s near-impossible to find fault with Van Dijk. When they aren’t, it opens everyone up to criticism.
Van Dijk didn’t cope well with Tolu Arokodare leading up to Wolves’ first goal in their Premier League clash earlier this week. The struggles are really more of a team issue, though.
Virgil van Dijk’s Liverpool numbers compared to last season
In order to assess the truthfulness of Shearer’s assessment, it helps to look at the difference between Van Dijk’s numbers last season and now (via FotMob).
24/25 Virgil van Dijk PL stats (per90) 25/26
1.03 Tackles 0.59
1.51 Interceptions 0.62
0.43 Blocks 0.52
68.7% Duels won 75.1%
72.1% Aerial Duels won 75.4%
It’s a confusing comparison to get the head around. He seems to be doing less defensively, but more effectively.
Of course, Liverpool were the best team in the Premier League last term, and are far from that now, but the drop-off from the captain isn’t as bad as Shearer is suggesting. He’s still one of the most dominant aerial threats in Europe in both boxes and hardly ever gets beaten off the dribble.
Still plenty left in the tank.
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