Virgil van Dijk will forever be one of Liverpool’s great signings. Granted, he cost a fortune, but he was just a perfect fit for the team Jurgen Klopp was creating. Without him, the most glorious heights of the past five years would have remained unscaled.
Calm and composure, with fine distribution and a combination of speed and anticipation to patrol the large areas behind Klopp’s high defensive line as if he were never quite in top gear, Van Dijk was also an attacking threat on set-plays.
It all served to justify the £80 million outlay, but his form is coming under scrutiny amid perceptions he hasn’t been the same since the serious knee injury. Maybe he’s lost a fraction of the pace. Perhaps his powers can fade as he approaches thirty.
It’s interesting because it doesn’t come through in the performance data that’s so central to the modern game.
According to the Premier League ranking compiled by Delphlyx, data experts employed by several professional clubs, Van Dijk is the best central defender in the country. Ruben Dias is second. Thiago Silva third, and how Chelsea misses him.
Virgil van Dijk (left)’s form for Liverpool has come under heavy scrutiny so far this season
Van Dijk and Liverpool have been weaker defensively and are eighth in the standings
The Dutchman is one of the greats of his time and one of Jurgen Klopp’s best signings
Van Dijk’s defensive numbers aren’t radically different from 2019/20 when Liverpool won the title or the season before when he was PFA Player of the Year. Slightly down in some areas and slightly up in others.
There is an increase in defensive activity. He makes and wins more tackles, which indicates that the workload is greater. He wins duels with almost the same frequency as four years ago, with the same number of interceptions.
His recovery is low and a clear dip this season is the number of aerial duels won per game (4.36 compared to 6.6 in 18/19), although the return to fashion for the big man up front such as Erling Haaland, Ivan Toney and Aleksandr Mitrovic could play a role in this.
Data is not everyone’s cup of tea. I’m not really sure if it’s mine. But if his personal numbers aren’t much different from a time before the October 2020 injury when he exuded so much class, unflappable and supreme, then something else must be going on, because he doesn’t anymore.
Klopp still wants to play high up the pitch, he wants intensity and tries to win the ball back quickly, although no longer leading top man Roberto Firmino recovering the ball or Sadio Mane harassing defenders with his threat to run from behind.
The midfield chemistry isn’t like it was when Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum were completely in sync.
Van Dijk can be great for many years to come and he is not the source of Liverpool’s problems
Liverpool lacked the same intensity and Van Dijk and Co found themselves overextended, regularly getting more exposure – allowing mistakes
Back then, Van Dijk’s job was easier. Even though he was expected to defend large swathes of the pitch, he knew his craft and did it with such zest that he developed an aura.
It’s the sweet spot for a footballer, when mere presence spreads confidence through one team and fear through another.
But Liverpool no longer generates the same intensity. Most likely due to personnel changes, the sands of time, small changes that rippled through the team to erode things they relied on.
In the back, Van Dijk and Co are stretched out. More regularly exposed. Including pressure. Mistakes creep in and it all comes down to minimizing mistakes in central defence.
Just ask Harry Maguire or Davinson Sanchez. They are at the stage where every mistake will take its toll, whether it is entirely their fault or others are partly to blame.
If Van Dijk makes one against Leeds it will feed the theory that his powers are fading, but I won’t be signing up. He has been one of the greats of his time and may remain so for many years to come. The source of Liverpool’s problem lies elsewhere.
Remarkable renaissance story
Ten years after their low point, finishing seventh in the Conference and 99th in the country, Luton are third in the Championship, needing just one point from their last four games to clinch a play-off spot.
They are in flying form, unbeaten in 10 with seven clean sheets and six goals during that span for top scorer Carlton Morris, who has 18 all season and trades almost exclusively in the blue-chip market of opening goals and match winners.
It’s a remarkable, multi-subject renaissance story, not least that of manager Rob Edwards, quickly sacked by rivals Watford and installed at Luton to continue the progress made under Nathan Jones, who took them to led the playoffs.
Most impressive of all, though, is turning a bottom three budget into a top three finish. That takes effort at every level and can only be achieved with a commitment to the inclusive culture found within the rickety confines of Kenilworth Road.
Luton Town need just one more point to secure a position in the Championship play-offs
Cavalier’s pursuit of victory doesn’t pay off
Those Tottenham supporters who demanded more thrills than was available under Antonio Conte might have enjoyed watching their team attack on Saturday in an arrogant chase for victory, lined up in a vague 4-2-4 form with non- defensive fullback Pedro Porro on the right of the back four and the club’s record goalscorer Harry Kane in midfield with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Shame on Bournemouth winner in the 95th minute.
Tottenham went all out to secure a win at Bournemouth but fell to a 3-2 defeat
Ex-United coaches impress
Five goals on Friday for Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough and six on Saturday for Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town. What a weekend for two young coaches who are thriving since leaving Manchester United for their first managerial roles.
Gift does not disappoint
Young Nigerian striker Gift Orban did not disappoint those eager to catch a glimpse of him when he played for Gent against West Ham in the UEFA Conference League.
The 20-year-old Orbán has become known for a string of goals since he left Stabaek in Norway for Belgium in January. Now bigger clubs are in hot pursuit.
It doesn’t always go according to plan, but it’s a reminder of what can happen when football talent from Africa meets Scandinavian sports science and opportunity.
Clubs all over Europe are scouting Gift Orban after his impressive performances for Ghent
50th anniversary
Saturday marked the 50th anniversary of Walton and Hersham beating Slough Town in the penultimate final of the FA Amateur Cup in front of a crowd of 42,000 at Wembley.
Their captain was Dave Bassett, one of many players who followed manager Allen Batsford from Surrey to Wimbledon, where success in the Southern League and the FA Cup led to election to the Football League, and the rest, as they say, is history. Bassett celebrated the anniversary with a trip to see Watford, another of his old clubs, beat Bristol City.
Eight games in NINE days
Combined Counties Division One where Sandhurst Town, who had won 3-0 on Saturday, began a run of eight games in nine days, starting with Deportivo Galicia at home on Monday.
It’s a deficit that comes from a ground share with Bracknell, success in the cups and the league’s determination to finish the season on time. If they win six out of eight, Sandhurst will move up. If they don’t, they’ll probably have to gear up for the playoffs.