I was told by multiple people on this sub that he would never be the same after the acl injury and that acl injuries are career killers. People just don’t understand how far medical science has come and how incredible van Dijk is
And how much of his poor form was down to him not putting in enough effort.
On current form he’s the best CB in the league. Better than Saliba and Dias and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees.
I mean, that’s not really the hot take you think it is lol. Dias isn’t great with the ball. Not bad, but “just” above average.
And Saliba, while a fantastic player in his own right, doesn’t have quite the domineering physical presence that VVD has. VVD has one of the best physical profiles for a CB in the history of the sport.
Saying it louder for the people in the back: “This is the best CB in PL history”
Hahahaha
Don’t wanna have the people in the back miss out on your stand up bit
I guess the people in the front are just as ignorant
I guess this is sarcastic?
Minor pet peeve (very minor), but centre backs are not ‘centre-halves’! A centre-half (in the old 235 formations from 100 years ago) was a midfielder while what we would now call ‘centre-backs’ were full-backs as they were, ya know, fully back
My crusade will not end until we stop using it
I remember in Sunday league as a young teen being asked to play out of position as a centre half, and I played the match as a defensive midfielder. I remember a couple years later looking back and wondering what the hell happened, was I stupid and misunderstood the manager’s request, and nobody bothered to correct me?
what not having Henderson and Fabinho in front of you does to a man
First in line for a new contract should be TAA
Don’t know what wages he’s on/what his contract length is, but what has he done this season to deserve that at all?
His contract runs out in 2025. It should be top priority.
The priority is Salah because of some… Annoying pests
He’s also playing better in the NT. Dares to play it forward more and those fantastic long balls to the wingers are sharper. Some defensive work clearly looks better as well.
Perhaps it’s for a similar reason as at Liverpool. Our midfield has seen a significant boost in player quality in 2023
What a bit of Reijnders and Wiefer does to a MF
Maybe I am wrong but it feels like the auba,Ozil situation at Arsenal . Plays very good , gets a huge contract and relax.
What an absolute melt, imagine comparing Auba and Özil to van Dijk.
He seems nothing like those two personality wise so I doubt it.
It is nothing alike. Van Dijk has never ever been criticized for his lack of motivation or work ethic, nor has his character or behaviour ever been problematic. He is a leader and a serious professional, if anything he comes across as too serious at times.
Besides, the situation at the clubs is also totally different. Liverpool are stable and in the position the be consistently competing. Van Dijk is on top of his game and fits right into that plan, unlike Ozil and Auba who were past their peak and coasting.
While I agree with you completely, it’s quite funny that the reason a lot of big clubs avoided moving for him earlier, despite his immense talent, was a belief that he was lazy and unmotivated due to his languid style.