Virgil van Dijk has found himself singled out by the Dutch press again
Virgil van Dijk of Netherlands is seen during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Netherlands and Germany at Johan Cruijff Arena on September 24, 2026 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Virgil van Dijk's latest performance for his country has been criticised(Image: Getty )
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Virgil van Dijk’s latest performance against Germany has been ripped apart by Dutch media. The Liverpool captain was most notably accused of not keeping up with the pace of the game as the Netherlands settled for a 1-1 Nations League draw against their historic rivals.
Van Dijk came up against his former Reds manager Jurgen Klopp, whose introduction to international football was a baptism of fire. The towering centre-back immediately sought to leave a mark by rising up for a corner and nodding his effort into the net, only for his early goal to be ruled out for a foul by Brian Brobbey on Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
After that, the Dutch had another goal ruled out and conceded to Felix Nmecha before half-time. Despite being the more dominant side, the Netherlands had to wait until stoppage time for an equaliser, which came through another one of Klopp’s former Liverpool players, forward Cody Gakpo, who pulled off a stunning volley.
Van Dijk cut a frustrated figure post-match, taking issue with the manner in which Germany scored their goal, which came after they continued play despite Brobbey being down injured, labelling it a "disgrace". He also took issue with his goal being ruled out, saying: "I thought that was disallowed very easily. In my opinion, Brian didn't do anything at all. He was standing there, but he did absolutely nothing."
But that didn’t stop the Dutch media from scrutinising the skipper’s own performance. Voetbalzone labelled the veteran "disappointing" on the night, dishing out a poor match rating of 5.5/10. They added: "The captain thought he had put the Netherlands ahead with a well-placed header, but saw his goal disallowed and picked up a yellow card later in the match."
Voetbal Primeur handed him a 6/10 match rating and pointed out that he struggled defensively as he failed to cope with the pace of the game at times. The publication wrote: "The captain decided to continue after a conversation with Xavi and seemed to be giving the new national coach a flying start. To the disbelief of many, the goal was disallowed. Van Dijk was strong on the ball, but defensively things sometimes moved a tad too fast for him."
Voetbal International echoed that sentiment by awarding him a 6/10, while Algemeen Dagblad (AD) were more generous with their 7/10 rating, which was the best across the backline along with Denzel Dumfries.
For all of the criticism, it was arguably a typically authoritative performance from Van Dijk, who won aerial duels and organised his back four well, though he will be disappointed that the defensive line switched off for the Nmecha goal. His leadership was most evident during the chaotic final stages as he pushed the team forward.
The aforementioned match ratings are unlikely to repair Van Dijk’s already fractured relationship with the Dutch media, having been involved in a frosty confrontation with a journalist during a press conference ahead of Thursday's clash. "One of your colleagues also said, of course, that it was my idea to switch to playing with a back five. That is utter nonsense," Van Dijk told one reporter.
Virgil van Dijk of the Netherlands during the UEFA Nations League match between the Netherlands and Germany at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on September 24, 2026 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. ANP KOEN VAN WEEL
The defender had an early goal disallowed(Image: Getty )
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"The fact is we simply failed at the World Cup. Those are the hard facts. We didn't play a good World Cup. It's not about me. You perform together. You're a team. Your claim that I destroyed Dutch football after the World Cup - that sort of thing is completely baseless."
In his post-match interview, the 35-year-old highlighted the transition the Netherlands are currently undergoing. He summed up the performance under new manager Xavi by saying: "I think we deserve at least a point tonight.
"We played well in spells, but at some moments we were a bit vulnerable. If we press, we can still get better at that. After three days of work, I think it was a great game."