The poor performance that Virgil van Dijk gave in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal this past weekend brought him back into the spotlight and rekindled the discussion about his form. Both Arsenal goals were partially attributable to the center-back’s careless deflection of Martin Odegaard’s pass to Gabriel Martinelli. Hence, who misplaced Gabriel Jesus in the Liverpool penalty area for the second goal.
His mistake-inclined show was the most recent in a long queue this season; however, what is behind his battles? And are they evidence of a decline or merely a brief dip in form? After the game, Jamie Carragher came to his defense, arguing that Van Dijk is a “far better” defender than Nemanja Vidic and that, along with Kevin De Bruyne, he has been “the best player in the league” over the past four seasons.
Is Virgil van Dijk on the decline or simply out of form?
Even though Van Dijk’s previous dominance makes his decline even more concerning, evaluating in the context of Liverpool’s season is essential. He is critical of the 2019 Ballon d’Or voting; he came in second only to Lionel Messi. He has been on the PFA Team of the Year in three of the last four seasons; he only didn’t play in 2020/21 because of a cruciate knee injury.
Liverpool’s diminished physical vigor There are issues all over the field for Jurgen Klopp, and the majority are caused by the team’s diminished collective physical vigor. After the exhausting endeavors of last season, and with the profile of their crew maturing, the fierce squeezing that supported Liverpool’s past progress under Klopp has just been found in patches. Thus, a side positioned top in the Head Association in many measurements connected with squeezing last season has seen their numbers droop decisively in the momentum crusade.
