Virgil is big, strong and quick. And he knows how to use his physical attributes incredibly well to put himself between the ball and his opponent. But he’s also unbelievably intelligent and has a sense for where the ball is and where it’s going at all times. He’s a lethal defender. Very rarely can you describe a defender as lethal but if you must do so, van Dijk is that defender.
And he's 'lethal' in the good way, he just neutralizes opposing players through positioning, timing and intelligence, he doesn't hurt or injure them. He plays physically but never dirty. If you play against him you will end the game with your shins and ankles intact, although you will have a miserable evening in all other regards.
I totally agree with you, many people mention his speed, strength, etc. but very rarely, do i see people noticing and appreciating his intelligence and understanding of the game, he has all these great abilities, but he would truly not be more than a average too good footballer, if it wasn’t for his intelligence, reading and understanding of the game, which like you said, makes him lethal. As, attackers, specially the fancy wingers, and agile players, need to be smart to a certain extent to throw off and beat their man, but VVD’s intelligence just makes him 10x harder to beat 1 on 1, as he knows the tricks, he knows exactly where you want to go, and where he should lead you, and he’s also patient, he knows it’s not about if, it’s about when.
The way all these world class players come up smiling after he tackles or disposes them while their managers are freaking out tells you just how good he actually is. Game recognizes game.
u are witnessing the greatest CB of all time it is not a single thing he can t do, he s an amazing construction player because he s smart, he never misses a takle, he s calm, composed, good speed, great heading, scores goals, captain, adapted instant at liverpool, what a player!
Id say the best defender Ive seen. An absolute general and legend in defense. Keep up the great work Virgil may you be blessed with many more great years of football. 👏👏👏
As a goalkeeper, I love wacthing CB going physical and literally shutting down opponents strikers. For us, nothing is better than a strong defensive line. Van Dijk could be compared to Shaq. Strong body, crazy athletism compared to his size, IQ and domination. Once he shield the ball, not even a tank could steal it.
I can imagine 2:51 was a very mentally intense moment for him. He had to quickly decide whether he wanted to take the risk of letting Sissoko shoot, so atleast Son can't.
That clip is the perfect example of how much stuff goes through a footballer's brain on the pitch. Son had to keep the line so he wont be offside. Van Dijk had to block the passing line so Sissoko cant pass to Son. And Sissoko was trying to drag some time for more players to run up and support him. Amazing shit
No it wasn't a decision to make, it was to block of the option to let the guy pass but still be able to reach him whenever he wanted to shoot. It's not a decision just a perfect example of what a defender has to do
@@benjournington9940 not anymore vvd has been average thus far amd matip has been the better of the two. Also vvd is not faster then uppermacano,sule,or hernandez
I hope van Dijk can lead Liverpool to the title and number 7. so this is the chance we appreciate the defender for winning ballon d'or. wich he deserved
He uses pace well to get where he needs to be then decides whether to shield, tackle or even play the ball. Unfortunately most défenders dont think this calmly because they already made up their minds what they are gonna do. So when plan à fails, they panic.
That's also because most defenders aren't fast, strong, good on the ball AND intelligent. When you only have one or two of those attributes, you won't be able to use the skill that's most needed for a certain situation let alone a combination of them. Virgil is the complete package.
I don't know how I feel about the shoulder to shoulder rules. I admit its impressive to watch Van Dijk just ruthlessly shove players off the ball, but I know there is nothing more frustrating then being about score, and having some behemoth american football tackle you to the ground using his shoulder and it not be a foul.
Using shoulders/body naturally in range of the ball is fair play, you are fighting for the ball, the stronger more imposing challenger wins. Simple. It's nothing unsportsmanlike or unfair about it. How else are they supposed to defend? He's not trying to snap their legs or body slam them or intentionally shove them with hands, simply using his body and physique to get the attacker off of the ball.
for people saying he plays dirty , in the last 100 matches he has received 7 yellow cards. he is lethal but in a good way he tackles opponents and ruins their momentum but doesn't hurt or injure his opponents
The people who thinks he plays dirty either don't play football.... Or don't understand the concept of momentum... VVD is a master of getting players off-balance
a great defender... size, athleticism, good judgement, underrated with the ball etc... but I do also think people are prisoners of the moment when elevating VVD in all time status ahead of the likes of Adams, Campbell, Stam, Ferdinand, Terry, Vidic and Kompany... too soon to make such sweeping statements
Maldini is overhyped, he was a great defender but the number of appearances made him an icon for Ac Milan, van dijk is incredible for a CB like if he was modelled as the perfect CB
You guys seriously can't compare football from Maldini and today's VAR era. Maldini would've got card's and red cards multiple times with the way they tackle and defend. Defenders in this modern VAR are much more clinical and intelligent in tackling and defending. One wrong foot and out of the game. Not saying past Defenders are bad but comparison is unfair. Van Dijk is a perfect modern CB.
This guy came from the second team of FC Groningen! Came in first team because one of the central defenders had picked up an injury. Stayed in the first after that moment, got a nice transfer to celtic, then Koeman at Southampton picked him up. Now he is a world class defender at Liverpool! Pretty good career.
@@Luca-ob1db huh? You know just because great defenders in history have gone down with household names doesn't mean the new generation cant surpass them. If you were to put Van Dijk in the same matches as most of the defenders you just named, people wouldn't even notice them. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest defenders in history.
@@johnb4593 who is one of the greatest defenders in history can also be there,yes , but I simply said not to put him above undisputed legends such as Maldini, Nesta, Beckenbauer, ramos, cannavaro ... (not because I say it but just know football) not I have never seen Beckenbauer play a game, I only know his numbers and saw something) but I have seen Maldini, Ramos, Cannavaro play ... players who have shown much more, both on the pitch and with prizes and awards. Maybe he could also get close to Cannavaro, and i don't think, I'm talking about a law anyway since he played for important clubs such as Juventus and for Real Madrid, won 2 Champions, championships in Spain and Italy, played one of the best performances identify of a defender of all time, winner of the world championship and golden ball in 2006, Ramos another champion, Puyol idem, I simply said that saying "best defender of all time, above all" is not suitable, because before them there will be minimal 5 defenders, top. I didn't say he sucks, on the contrary,be the best currently Is not offensive
Most people think he fouls opponents because they don’t understand the rules. If you can get yourself equidistant to the ball, you are allowed to use your physical strength as long as you don’t grab with your hands. Saying a big defender can’t use his strength this way is like saying a striker shouldn’t be allowed to use his speed.
@@ZevTallone - 1:17 he basically ran into the opponent with full speed - 4:33 I dont think he touched the ball just the opponents leg, was it called a foul or not Just wondering if you could explain these two examples I gave cause every other clip of this video looked clean. In my opinion they were fouls and im curious why they wouldnt be...
@@ALexpLK 1:17 The ref sees it as VVD running his shoulder into the opponent's shoulder. VVD did not extend his hand out to push. That isn't a foul. If Sterling runs into VVD the same way, I'm sure VVD won't fall over. You can't foul a defender for being too strong any more than you can foul a striker for running too fast. On slow motion it looks like VVD caught some of the opponent's back. Well, everything is moving very fast and it's a contact sport after all. Refs don't typically give such tackles in the penalty box because with ALL things considered, it's too marginal. VVD knows that and he plays the rules dangerously at times. Having said that, if the ref stops the game, looks at VAR and gives the penalty because some of VVD caught the opponent's back instead of the shoulders, I will sulk but not complain too much. 4:33 Clear foul
Ahahahahha not even in the top 30 defenders I would say. Hasn't been at the top for more than 3 years. Even Ramos is better than VVD and Ramos is a shite player who just gets angry
