Jamie Carragher said Virgil van Dijk was "too good for the highest level of football" but now the Liverpool captain no longer appears to be an elite defender
18:00, 06 Apr 2026
Virgil van Dijk has been a liability at times this season for Liverpool
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Virgil van Dijk has been a liability at times this season for Liverpool(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
The comments have aged about as well as a pint of milk. Jamie Carragher talking on TV about Virgil van Dijk.
Drooling over the Liverpool defender as if he was some kind of footballing god. "He's too good for the highest level of football," Carragher opined with a straight face, after the Reds beat Tottenham 4-0 in a Carabao Cup semi-final in February last year.
"It feels like there should be another level [for Van Dijk]. He plays the game with such ease. He is the best. There's not even a debate. It's a joke. Football is so easy for him."
Jamie Carragher speaking on Sky Sports
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Jamie Carragher speaking on Sky Sports(Image: X/SkySportsPL)
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Oh dear. As it turns out, Van Dijk isn't as good as Carragher and all the rest of the Liverpool lovelies thought he was.
In short, the club's decision to hand him a contract extension until 2027 is now turning somewhat sour. The Dutch defender now personifies all that is wrong with the current Liverpool team.
The flak has been flying around Anfield this season like a Tsunami. It has engulfed the likes of manager Arne Slot, Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konate, Curtis Jones, Florian Wirtz and several board members. Take your pick, really.
But one man who has appeared immune to criticism has been Van Dijk. If someone could tell me why, then I'm all ears.
Virgil van Dijk fouled Nico O'Reilly to gift Manchester City a penalty and the opening goal against Liverpool
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Virgil van Dijk fouled Nico O'Reilly to gift Manchester City a penalty and the opening goal against Liverpool(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Because he always stops to talk to the media following defeats? Because he is the captain? Because he is a nice fella who tends to do and say the right things?
Van Dijk has been a liability at times this season. He is no longer the best defender in his own team, let alone the world.
He is nowhere near maintaining the same standards he once set himself and his team. The brutal truth is Van Dijk is now living off the reputation he built for himself several years ago.
Erling Haaland exposed this fact when scoring a hat-trick in Manchester City's drubbing of Van Dijk and Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Virgil van Dijk accused Liverpool of 'giving up' against Manchester City
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Virgil van Dijk accused Liverpool of 'giving up' against Manchester City(Image: Liverpool FC, Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Van Dijk used to be a commanding presence. He dominated his own defence. He led from the front, as well as the back. Those around him fed from the Dutchman's leadership. He embraced one-on-one challenges.
But these days Van Dijk looks a shadow of his former self. A footballer riddled with hesitation, self doubts and a lack of confidence. Yet somehow he continues to be protected, instead of criticised.
Whisper it, not least in the red half of Liverpool, but Van Dijk no longer appears to be an elite defender. Time has caught up with someone who will turn 35 during this summer's World Cup.
He has produced numerous average performances in what has turned into a catastrophic campaign for Slot's Premier League champions. And average doesn't win a team the big trophies.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 04: Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, and Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool react at full time following defeat during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
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Arne Slot and Virgil van Dijk must buck their ideas up(Image: Michael Regan, Getty Images)
Van Dijk could well find himself exposed again this week, when Liverpool take on Paris Saint Germain in the last eight of the Champions League.
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He must be looking forward to a trip to the French capital like a hole in the head.
Big changes are expected at Anfield in the summer. Because the team has gone backwards at a rapid and alarming rate this season.
And if Liverpool's bosses still think Van Dijk is the future, then more fool them.