Speaking about Virgil van Dijk, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher. For the first time in his Anfield career, the Reds captain has received criticism recently. Virgil van Dijk, the captain of Liverpool, has, in the opinion of Jamie Carragher, provided a timely rebuttal to those who had begun to doubt him.
Under Jurgen Klopp, the Reds captain has received praise for his contribution to the team’s ascent to the top of English and European football. During his tenure at Anfield, Van Dijk has helped Liverpool win the Champions League, Premier League, Carabao Cup, and FA Cup. The Netherlands captain has struggled in recent seasons as he tries to live up to the standards he set before suffering a serious knee injury in October 2020.
The center-back has consequently received plenty of flak for this. Ruud Gullit referred to Van Dijk as “an ice skater” earlier this year, and Marco van Basten, a fellow Dutch football legend who won the 1988 Euros with Gullit, charged the Reds player with inciting “chaos” on the field. However, according to Carragher, who wrote about Van Dijk in his column for The Telegraph, the player’s strong showings so far this season have dissuaded those who had begun to doubt him.
The former Liverpool player thinks the defender will be essential to his former team’s attempt to contend for the title. Virgil van Dijk needs to reclaim his position as the team’s leader if Liverpool is to be a title contender this year, according to Carragher. He is doing so, which is good news for Jurgen Klopp.
Van Dijk’s performance has gone unnoticed despite Liverpool’s promising start, with the exception of a bad afternoon against Newcastle United. It was a timely response because Van Dijk must refute critics for the first time in his Anfield career. The previous 12 months weren’t good enough by his standards.
But we must not lose sight of how exceptionally high they are. “. After that, the Sky Sports analyst continued, “Many contend that Van Dijk has not been the same since he sustained a serious knee injury in the Merseyside derby in October 2020. That was rewritten historically. Two victories from a quadruple in 2021–22 demonstrated his brilliance. Even the controversial most recent loss to Spurs was only Van Dijk’s third setback in his last 21 league contests.
Although the knee surgery likely had a long-term negative impact, Van Dijk’s performance over the past few months has been praised. This player, a rare honor for a center-back, was unlucky to come in second place to Lionel Messi in the 2019 Ballon d’Or voting.
