Emmanuel Petit has been giving his thoughts on Liverpool defenders Virgil van Dijk and Jeremy Jacquet, with an interesting point on the pair being raised by the former star
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool during the Premier League 2026/27 match between AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool FC
Emmanuel Petit has given his thoughts on Virgil van Dijk's start to the season(Image: (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images))
Former Arsenal and Barcelona star Emmanuel Petit believes that Jeremy Jacquet is responsible for getting the best out of Virgil van Dijk this season, and not the other way around.
It follows an impressive start to the season for the Liverpool pair, who have settled into a new backline partnership well after just a few weeks of playing alongside each other.
Considering some of the concern that came with losing Ibrahima Konate, and breaking up a centre-back partnership that had been together for a few seasons, it has been a relatively seamless transition to bring Jacquet into the mix. The French defender has looked calm and composed, despite being just 21 years old, with his skillset seemingly complementing the work that Van Dijk does in his role.
For many, there has been some belief that the experienced star will be doing everything he can to guide the youngster through the challenges of the Premier League and the Champions League to help get the best out of each other.
However, for former star Petit, the key to an impressive start to the season for the duo has actually been down to Jacquet getting the best out of Van Dijk, and not the other way round.
Speaking on After Foot as a pundit for France's matches during the international break, via RMC Sport, he said: "I really liked his game, which only confirms what I've thought of him since the start of the Premier League season.
Jeremy Jacquet of Liverpool and Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Liverpool FC and Fulham
Jeremy Jacquet and Virgil van Dijk have built an impressive partnership together at Liverpool so far(Image: (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images))
"He's the one who brings out the best in Van Dijk, not the other way around. He's a player who isn't afraid of one-on-one situations, who reads the game very well, and who knows how to anticipate."
It may come as something of a controversial claim, considering what many would picture when seeing an experienced winner with an up-and-coming star, but it may be the case that both stars are working well off of each other.
Centre-back partnerships are unique in that they rely on players to have similar skills in their locker, but with different profiles to deal with new threats from the opposition.
For example, Van Dijk may deal with the physical threats better than Jacquet can, but the new recruit may deal with the one-on-one running of attackers better. It's that synergy that makes a centre-back partnership work so well.
Over the years, Van Dijk has seen many new players feature alongside him. Joel Matip may well be the most consistent of them, while struggles with Konate last season highlighted potential flaws between the pair.
With Jacquet now alongside him, there may be an opportunity to continue showing his best form, while the youngster can also learn from one of the best defenders the Premier League has ever seen.