Virgil van Dijk’s value for The Reds will never hinge on one game, or even a single season. The 35 year old captain has long since solidified his status with the team and its loyal fans and the wider world, generally hailed as one of the best defenders of all time. His fierce, unrelenting attitude on the pitch has so often cut the opposition down to size, and reinforced his team’s solidity across eight years under three very different managers.
Joining under Klopp, he rose to quick infamy. A centre-back scoring on his debut – and in a Merseyside derby no less – he set his own standard for ferocity and now stands behind only John Terry and Ian Marshall as one of the highest scoring premier league centrebacks of all time. That brand of heavy-metal football was a match made in heaven for the intense playing style the Dutchman brought to the pitch, and under Slot van Dijk’s captaincy represented a level-headed cornerstone to both the offense and defensive sides of play.
But with the 26/27 season underway, Iraola’s high press game has so far seemed like something of a sticking point for Virgil van Dijk. Tensions between squad members were already starting to show during the preseason. In the friendly against Como, there was a missed pass to van Dijk during a press play by Szoboszlai, followed by stern words between the two.
Defending high and aggressively pushing toward the box sounds like the ideal playing style for a high-scoring centreback, but Van Dijk’s age may be catching up with him. High pressing football requires defenders to be more exposed and under more pressure if that initial wave of pressure falters. It means chasing the ball at high speed and exposing oneself to fatigue much earlier in the match, and to operate as an incredibly strong and coordinated defensive structure.
For any 35 year old player, that’s a big ask. Add to that the heavy task of managing a team through a heavy transition period – one that cast into doubt the team’s viability as a 26/27 title contender due to the disintegration of the core team, with Salah’s departure in particular coming as a big shock – and it’s no surprise that tensions are beginning to flare over errors, slow runs, and lack of coordination between attackers and defenders.
Right now, we appear to have a viscous cycle of factors: Virgil van Dijk is losing speed, but he’s being tasked with defending a much larger portion of the pitch. If he hangs back, he’s not ready to receive passes from the likes of Szoboszlai, who expect him to be there; if he presses forward, he leaves Alisson open to counter attacks that run clean through an insubstantial defense.
The season hasn’t got off to the best start, but it would be inflammatory to say that it’s got off to a bad start. Fans and sport betting UK odds still favour The Reds as top contenders for the title race, although they face an uphill battle against teams who have been under less doubt over the summer. The World Cup was a mixed blessing, providing welcome distraction from the way the previous season ended, but placing further pressure on our captain ahead of a season that was always going to be difficult.
Carragher noted that this is the first season at Liverpool where Virgil van Dijk himself will need protection if he is to offer protection himself. There is still plenty of hope that the defense will harden further as the early weeks progress, and Liverpool will grow from their current position in the league table.
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