I mean it doesn’t help that everyone is passing through our midfield. It’s really easy to get at our back line.
Virgil van Dijk | Performances
- Thread starter Samid
- Start date
One of the worst CBs in the league this season
Leaky midfield makes every defense looks bad.
Vincent Kompany was far better than this guy ever was. The moment Virgil had to actually tackle people he was done.
It feels like Lisandro Martinez is under more scrutiny this season for what could potentially happen to him than Virgil is for what is happening to him.
He is having a shocker of a season.
Class comment.
Maguire 2.0 
The way this bloke was talked about its funny to see how he's performing now. The amazing players, who kept at for years, he was compared to and said to be "comfortably" better than.
Generational defender, one of the greats, best ever in the PL. Etc
To be fair he got his leg cut in half so considering the aforementioned it's to be expected, not many come back untainted from those kinds of injuries.
I know we hate him as united fans and all but no need to get ahead of ourselves, when he was at his peak he was pretty damn good.
Fair about the injury, I was going to bring that up. He's looking likely to be having the tail off in form many of us predicted after that incident.
So they blow 100m on an Andy Carroll, and their best defender is becoming Titus Bramble. Looks like the luck Klopp had to build this amazing squad is finally running out.
Too early to say so this man. They are still in the champions League. The FA cup and League cup. Writing off teams so early seems to be something we are experts in.
Yeah you're definitely right about people massively overeating him considering his lack of consistent on the highest level(not his fault though) but I say at his peak he was on the level of the very best or thereabouts.
Klopp must be surely looking for a replace by now, wonder who they'll go for.
Curious why the midfield didnt get all the credit when they were shielding the defence 3 seasons ago but it all went to VVD. Now when things are falling the blame goes to the midfield
Best defender in PL history, la
Only had one world class season.
Only had one world class season.
Short lived peak
A strange scenario where players were put off from trying to sprint past him by his rep.
Then they suddenly realised his style of defending is just watching someone, and making them make the decision, and suddenly the aura has gone completely.
Long may it continue with all their players.
Then they suddenly realised his style of defending is just watching someone, and making them make the decision, and suddenly the aura has gone completely.
Long may it continue with all their players.
Trent this, Robertson that, Van Dijk la. It was all… Wijnaldum?
Matip has been the better defender for a while now. Passing and scoring too.
To be fair at 30++ is difficult to come back 100% back with that injury. You always have some trauma. Hope they renew his contract at 250k.. You know to "protect value". Glazernomics style.
Kompany was better than him and Rio Ferdinand is miles above all of them.
The more CBs have to actually defend the worse they look.
Can you imagine Van Dijk against prime Diego Costa? Kompany came out of those clashes with blood all over him.
Van Dijk hasn't been tested anywhere near as much as a Kompany/Ferdinand. Strikers are just not as good in this era.
People talking about his injury, yes, it was crap for him, but it has nothing to do with how poor he’s been this season
It’s a mix of both. People often praised our midfield for being very functional as an engine room for the team when we were doing well. Fabinho’s been great and Henderson gets a lot of praise for what he’s done in terms of legwork.
Van Dijk has also been very good and to suddenly try and pretend he never was is silly. Slightly overrated by some pundits? Sure.
Any defender can look exposed in the wrong circumstances/set up though. We’re not controlling games at all and it is leaving our back line exposed.
eh? Are we talking about Luke Shaw or VVD? Cause only one of them had the kind of injury you mentioning, the other had an injury that many players suffer from and come back just fine. Pretty sure the bloke walked off down the tunnel at Goodison that day.
This is why you wait more than 2 games to brand a player the greatest the world has ever seen.
I really don’t think it has either. He always had a peculiar stance, where he would drop back and almost play as a covering defender.
I just think that has been found out now and players are running at him and making him actually have to second guess them rather than the opposite.
Other names mentioned in this thread were always a lot more pro-active with their defending and i think that makes them better defenders.
absolutely spot on.
Never was the best CB the Prem has ever seen, utter nonsense from the Liverpool brigade. Anyway, I wonder what Michael Owen's opinion is now..
Surely he didn't say this?
Owen will say whatever he can for the Liverpool supporters to love him (and they never will). He has no shame.
The best centre back to ever play the game. Apparently
Honestly. I've never seen the fuss. Yes, a talented player, but in ten years time his name won't be mentioned when talking about the best defenders to play the game
Honestly. I've never seen the fuss. Yes, a talented player, but in ten years time his name won't be mentioned when talking about the best defenders to play the game
I’ve said the same — I honestly think a lot of his performances were almost built up around this myth that you couldn’t get past him and taking him on was this Herculean task. In his defence, it was for a bit, but it was massively overstated (like that one awful Sissoko counter a few years ago). Now he’s taken a few hits and attackers see he bleeds just like any other defender, so he’s there to get at a little.
That is genuinely just football in general. Momentum and narratives impact everything.No way a Liverpool team on a good run of form come back from 2-0 to 3-2 and then draw.