Liverpool's poor campaign and non-existent Premier League title defence has seen all their players attract criticism, including long-serving captain Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk has come under criticism this season(Image: Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
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Virgil van Dijk should be exempt from the criticism that comes the way of his Liverpool team-mates, according to Shane Long. Liverpool are nearing the end of a poor season and Van Dijk's performances have been questioned by some fans and pundits.
The Reds will end the 2025/26 campaign without a trophy, having put in a dreadful defence of the Premier League title they won in Arne Slot's first season in charge. They were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, by Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and by Crystal Palace in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
Slot's side sit fifth in the Premier League with five games left to play and are fully focused on securing a place in next season's Champions League. They are currently enjoying a rare high after Van Dijk's injury-time header earned them a 2-1 win over rivals Everton.
That was the sixth goal in his 50th appearance of the campaign and Long believes the Netherlands international has not been culpable for the team's inconsistency. Long played alongside Van Dijk at Southampton before he joined Liverpool in 2018 and doesn't think his levels have dropped now he's 34 years old.
“Virgil van Dijk will stay at Liverpool as long as he wants. You look at Virgil when he was 28, and he very rarely sprinted because he was always in the right position. He didn't need a side tackle because he was always in the right position. He has self-control on the ball," Long told Midnite.
“So if he loses a yard or two, which I don't think he has by the way, it won't really impact his game, whereas for me, I was the opposite. I was all about pace. So once I lost the yards, I had nothing else.
“Virgil is ever-present as well, which is a good sign for me. He's always fit, always ready to play, plays week in, week out, 90 minutes, never needs a rest, and then goes on international duty.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - APRIL 19: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match between Everton and Liverpool at Hill Dickinson Stadium on April 19, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Virgil van Dijk headed in the winner in the Merseyside Derby on Sunday(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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"It's a good sign as a player that he doesn't break down injury-wise. I think he's still got a good two or three years left in him.
“I just think that the club as a whole, Liverpool are struggling at the moment. It's the nine or 10 players around that are struggling really. You see a lot of the goals that have been conceded, it comes from the other side or from the wings, and it's not really Virgil's doing.
"But then when he is in the vicinity, he's highlighted for the wrong reasons just because he has been that good and he's established a level now that people just want to tear him down.”
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