Virgil van Dijk pulls his Liverpool shirt up to wipe his face
Virgil van Dijk pulls his Liverpool shirt up to wipe his face
Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Former MLS attacker Alejandro Moreno has said he expects more from Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, whose performances he feels this season have been marred by too many mistakes.
Liverpool found themselves 2-0 down against Villarreal at Anfield on Tuesday night, with Van Dijk’s early error gifting the visitors their opening goal just minutes into the contest.
However, the Reds mounted a comeback, with Alexis Mac Allister scoring a brace and Ronald Araujo and Florian Wirtz also getting on the scoresheet as they secured a 4-3 victory to extend their unbeaten Champions League run.
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The result leaves Liverpool in the top two in the league stage table, level on nine points with Paris Saint-Germain.
Moreno criticised Van Dijk for his recent defensive lapses, highlighting how Liverpool conceded shortly after the defender came off the bench against LASK Linz, as well as his costly mistake in Villarreal’s opener.
He also questioned the veteran centre-back’s positioning for the second goal, noting that Van Dijk stepped out without the rest of the defensive line following him and failed to win the ball he was pressing, leaving space to be exploited.
The 47-year-old stressed that the Liverpool captain must show greater leadership and presence, insisting that the frequency of his mistakes this season is unacceptable and needs to be addressed.
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Season Position
2025-26 5th
2024–25 1st
2023–24 3rd
2022–23 5th
2021–22 2nd
Moreno said on ESPN FC (25:19): “All I would tell you is that when Virgil van Dijk came off the bench against LASK, the team gave up a goal a minute later.
“We started this game today, he gives assist of the week to Mikautadze, and Villarreal go up.
“And it’s Virgil van Dijk who is stepping out in the second goal, the rest of his line is not stepping out with him.
“Now, that could be the responsibility of [Kostas] Tsimikas and we’ll leave it at that in terms of that conversation, but he doesn’t get to the ball that he’s pressing and therefore leaves that space completely wide open to whoever is running in behind.
“I just expect more leadership, more presence, fewer mistakes from the guy who’s the captain of my team and who has historically been a really good player for Liverpool.
“I’m just not seeing it from him this season.
“There have been too many mistakes.
“Those things have to be cut out.”
The Netherlands international has been a key figure under Andoni Iraola, starting every Premier League match as the Reds have climbed to fifth in the table.
With Van Dijk entering the final year of his Liverpool contract, Galatasaray are positioning themselves to secure his signature on a pre-contract agreement in January, while Ilkay Gundogan could prove influential in convincing the defender to move to Turkey.