Van Dijk was Liverpool’s best defender last season, despite it seemingly being en vogue to try and ridicule the Oranje skipper. Ibrahima Konate’s lack of availability in a year when he made just 18 league appearances, as well as the crisis of confidence impacting both Joe Gomez and Joel Matip meant that the No.4 was once more the most reliable and dependable of the centre-halves at Jurgen Klopp’s disposal
But the collective drop-off that resulted in a fifth-place league finish, which is the lowest of any of Klopp’s seven full seasons, meant that Van Dijk was one of several players, particularly in the early months of the term, who were singled out for criticism
Liverpool’s defending…I don’t know what I’m seeing at the moment!” said Rio Ferdinand at one stage. “I can’t get my head around it. Van Dijk has been the best defender in the world arguably for the last couple of years. He looks a shadow of himself.”
Meanwhile, back in his homeland, Van Dijk was forced to listen to fault-finding analysis from iconic names like Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit, as well as the less-heralded Gertjan Verbeek over his role as captain of the national side.
A more nuanced assessment came via legendary Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher in the wake of the 2-1 loss to Manchester United in August as the opening goal from Jadon Sancho was dissected on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
“It’s the only thing I’d ever question Van Dijk on as a player,” Carragher said. “If you’re going through a checklist of a centre back, he’s 10 out of 10 for most things. The one thing I do sometimes think is: does he lack a little bit of intensity at certain times
The discourse around the £75m man, particularly in the early months of the season, was a snapshot of the general chatter around Liverpool as a whole as their detractors sharpened claws in the wake of a noticeable drop off.
An expert shackling of Erling Haaland was vital to Liverpool securing a 1-0 win at home to Manchester City in mid-October, while his performances in the Champions League helped the Reds recover from an opening-round loss at Napoli to see them secure their place in last-16 with five subsequent victories, which came home and away against Rangers and Ajax before the Italian champions were beaten 2-0 at Anfield.
A hamstring injury picked up in the first half of the 3-1 loss to Brentford was the quiet catalyst for one of the worst runs of form all season for Klopp’s side. While Van Dijk was recovering, they were comfortably beaten by Brighton and Wolves – both 3-0 – and were held to a goalless draw with struggling Chelsea at Anfield. The Dutchman was also absent for the FA Cup defeat to Brighton before his return coincided with a significant defensive improvement that went almost under the radar at the time.
Van Dijk came back into the team in February to help Liverpool keep five successive Premier League clean sheets in victories over Everton, Newcastle, Wolves and Manchester United as well as a draw at Crystal Palace.
The 5-2 home defeat to Real Madrid was surely the nadir but it was a loss to struggling Bournemouth in March that proved to be the major setback in the club’s top-four hopes. Van Dijk was far too passive in allowing Dango Ouattara to go past him before his low cross was turned in by match-winner Philip Billing.
Defeats to Real Madrid and Manchester City followed before Liverpool started to turn the corner in April. Van Dijk played in nine of an 11-game unbeaten run in the final weeks of the campaign and was quietly excellent in wins against Fulham, Wolves and Brentford as the Reds edged them all by one goal.
Having initially been vocal in his critical assessments of Van Dijk’s form earlier in the season, Liverpool’s No.4 eventually found Carragher to be a key ally when the 2005 Champions League winner weighed on a debate involving ex-Manchester United man Nemanja Vidic that seemingly had social media in a frenzy back in April.
“VVD is far better than Vidic, who was a top CB, but have you forgotten his performances against (Fernando) Torres?” asked Carragher on Twitter. “Rio (Ferdinand) & JT (Chelsea’s John Terry) had poor seasons in their career like all players, VVD is having one now. No CB in the PL era has ever had VVD’s impact on a team.”
Liverpool ended their campaign having shipped the most goals in a season under Klopp with 47 and while the lion’s share of the condemnation will inevitably always fall upon Van Dijk, their defensive leader, there’s a feeling that with a more stable midfield and fewer injuries to Konate, in particular, the Reds will get back to the sort of defensive displays as a unit that saw them ship just 22 the campaign previous, which was the best in Europe’s top five leagues alongside Manchester City.
It was a year where Van Dijk had to develop a thick skin, but he remains one of the outstanding defenders on the continent and vital to the long-term hopes.
