It's like he's watched and rewatched that famous stand off between a backpedalling Bobby Moore against Pele but seeming forgotten that Moore actually, y'know, ultimately tackled the guy and won the ball cleanly.
Virgil van Dijk | Performances
- Thread starter Samid
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Wasn't he having a go at Milner after the goal for diving in. Sancho was pretty clever in cutting back as he had so much of goal to aim at and was pretty simple finish.
Surprised this thread is getting bumped as thought VVD was a one man defence at times cutting out attacks, Joe Gomez was a total mess alongside him and TAA had a very poor first half defending.
Are Matip and Konate out long term or something?
So he was annoyed at Milner for diving in so went to the opposite extreme by being a passive statue?
I have no idea what the argument was after goal but can guess he'd have been unhappy Milner went to ground instead of just dangling a leg so he was out of it when Sancho put the ball on other foot and he couldn't get across to block.
I certainly wasn't watching the goal thinking it was Van Dijk's fault so strange bump and he was Liverpool's best defensive player by a country mile tonight.
So Milner is supposed to allow Sancho to get a shot away just outside the 6 yard box?
Bizarre defending for the Sancho goal.
Just stay on your feet and crowd him out. Sancho showed very good composure in fairness to quickly cut back and then simple finish into other corner.
van Dijk hasn't been at the races for quite a while, felt he needed to at least try and come out to make a block on Sancho's shot.
The cool aura he used to defend for the past 3 years has ran out. Attackers aren’t scared of him anymore — he actually has to use his legs and defend now
Yeah I didn’t really notice it at the time, but that hands behind the back position is becoming a meme.
It’s too late to crowd him out, he’s shooting from 8 yards out! look at where Sancho is shooting from and where Milner is sliding from, he’s on the other side. Milner isn’t a factor unless he slides in.
VVD isn’t even crowding him out, he’s standing there watching the entire thing without moving a muscle.
It’s just a mess
3 games in a row that VVD has been partly responsible for goal conceded
He's playing with Bournemouth style CBs (Gomez has regressed so much since the ACL). Konate took a while to warm up but he was looking really good last few months and Matip has always been a solid CB so Liverpool need to get one of those fit pronto otherwise they'll keep letting in cheap goals.
Players have sussed out if you run at him all he does is stand there twerking.
Its how most defender defend since var. Its very easy to get a penalty against for a handball.
The real question mark should be raised at Allison early commitment to his left. Was a good dummy but selling it both players is quite too much I thought..
Milner was having a go at him, not the other way around. VVD should’ve gotten closer to Sancho, instead he went back and stood in front of the GK. Milner did well to get there and he shouldn’t have been alone, I think.
VVD was clearly at fault for the first goal, stood still rather then engaging.
Was konate injured?
I think his physicality would have helped vvd somewhat.
I think his physicality would have helped vvd somewhat.
He does this very often. Vs Zaha last week he caught up with Zaha but backed away from making the tackle. The lazy defending vs Valverde in the CL final too
Him and Milner at it all night tonight….
If you look at the other Rashford chance when he dribbled in, VVD is doing the exact same thing. He just stands still leaning with his foot out. He wasn’t a factor at all
Yeah him and Matip are out. Gomez is decent but he's not as good as the other two imo.
Is the media going to call him out for his defending?
He's a statue at times.
He's a statue at times.
Oh fair enough.
You've got yourself a great player in konate, thought he was great in yur ucl final and im had he had played he would have made a lot harder for our attackers.
No Milner was going at him for not charging Sancho to close the space down, you could clearly see that to which VVD said 'ok'. They even covered that incident after the game.
Never understood why Gomez was so highly rated by Liverpool fans.
I don't think he is any more. He came in at times last season to play RB and was decent but at CB he's clearly fourth choice.
I am aware of that. I have been watching football the last two years
He’s been caught several times standing around not putting any pressure on the attacker, with his hands behind his back.Tweet
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Lindelof-esque tonight at times tonight.
He wasn't super aggressive before but he would get a first step in or get much tighter and use his superior strength, stride and pace; 8 times out of 10 that would be the end of the attack for that player. Now he's standing off far too much.
He wasn't super aggressive before but he would get a first step in or get much tighter and use his superior strength, stride and pace; 8 times out of 10 that would be the end of the attack for that player. Now he's standing off far too much.
Liverpool's performance seems to be directly correlated with how well VVD performs in the game. I'm glad he had a bad game.
I think it was the other way around. Milner was annoyed at VVD for not going into shot.
His defending for our goal was a special breed of rubbish. Why the feck was he covering the middle of the goal playing goalie instead of closing down Sancho? Mind you, Trent was just as bad on that move.
Also in the second Martial was really great against him.
Also in the second Martial was really great against him.
The myth of Van D is definitely starting to erode.
Everyone has clocked his one on one style is just to watch from a distance and hope the striker makes a mistake.
Definitely there to be got at now, not helped by rotating low class partners.
Everyone has clocked his one on one style is just to watch from a distance and hope the striker makes a mistake.
Definitely there to be got at now, not helped by rotating low class partners.
Was it Rashford or Martial that completely sold him like a kipper in the second half, so much so that he had to foul them as they were breezing past?
You love to see it !
You love to see it !
Was it Martial before our 2nd goal?