Sometimes thats not always good though. Think of the Lautaro Martinez goal at Anfield. He gave him too much space and time and he bet that Lautaro would miss.
Added to that his amazing understanding of angles and channels that minimises the need to sprint long distances, in so many of the clips he shuts down attacks with placement alown
@@theyoungdisciple2925 people like to reminisce with rose tinted glasses and say he can’t be one of the best because of xyz player years ago but the quality of this man is unparalleled. He can do everything any centre half in history can do and more.
@@fayesouthall6604 Nah it's more his top speed. If VVD is charging back on a counter you know that counter-attack is stopped. His acceleration is decent but when he starts striding its all over.
He got all the attributes that a perfect defender should have - fast, tall, strong, calm and composed. Even after his ACL, he is still one of the bests itw.
Could you be a good defender if your'e not tall ?? (type 5'7 - 5'9 range) I mean, i know height is needed to be a good GK, defo not needed in striking o midfield possitions, but i always wonder about defenders, do you need to be tall to be a GOOD defender !? (serious question)
@@patricioreigada5186 Certainly makes it easier to win aerial battles, but exempting that, height poses no serious advantage when the ball is on the ground. Aerials are important, though, so height is, IMO, important for a defender as well.
@@patricioreigada5186 I'm a defender myslef (5'8). Physical strength, Ariel prowess, Watching the ball, decision making, calmness everything matters. Ramos is never as calm as Van Dijk still he's successful his way. Even Ramos is only 184 cm. So as a defender having height isn't everything but it helps in Winning headers but also Watching the ball better and holding the dribbler's line. Think about Matip he defends well, he is neither strong nor fast. So being taller than the dribbler actually helps in better defending.
Yep but once if u want to act like him it's a big impossible except you go on very hardwork practice all day and sacrifice your time,energy, then focust being a real footballer.
The trick is to go with the attacker. And challege at the right moment. Maguire will always put his feet on these attacks and fail. Something that he never realised this season. No, self awareness whatsover, classless fridge.
He literally slows down time...if you look at him vs his opponents in 1v1 situations, he seems to have much more time to think and act than his opponents. Pure class
It is his strides. He takes long strides while the attacker hs to bring the ball while taking smaller strides. Strides or no strides, his game sense is amazing. Referees must feel at ease when this guy tackles becasue his is so skilled that there is no way it was aimed at the legs but only on the ball.
Precisely why he is on top. While he is without a doubt a top defender, unfortunately attackers these days are shorter, and rely precisely more on pace and movement to get past defenders, and that automatically favours VVD already who’s built like a tank and just suffers none of these fools. Back in the golden days of prime attackers and true number 9s, we had strikers like Drogba, Ibrahimovic, Adriano, Milito were bigger and robust and knew how to use their frame more than most. THEY would give him more of a run for his money. Lukaku is perhaps the last of such physical strikers today in the top leagues. So in a sense VVD is a freak by today’s standards.
@@Tobi_237 what you said buddy is ur opinion and yes Drogba, Adriano would have been difficult but one can argue that the game was a lot more physical back then, referees allowed the game to flow and I can bet that VVD would have been the winner in most of the battles had he played in that era coz he is just way to big, strong & quick for others
@@theredeemer4704 Lukaku is the only one who has a physical presence that could trouble VVD and he in fact did, he had VVD on the floor at one point in those Liverpool v Chelsea matchups. The likes of Haaland and Dzeko rely more on movement than physicality, they’re not up to scratch when you wanna compare ‘em to the physical target men that the Drogbas, Jan Kollers, Diego Costas of old. Kane and Lewandowski too just aren’t that physical type, they rely more on utilising their technique above all else. You’d have done better naming someone like Giroud or Zapata, strikers who relish a battle against defenders. Also, you seem to forget that I acknowledge VVD as THE top defender in the world, so this isn’t me knocking him, but I’m saying he has an added advantage in the modern game because he simply doesn’t deal with those type of physical attackers as often, for the most part he just brilliantly contains pacy attackers who he simply shows down a line for the most part before he proceeds to outmuscle or step in and tackle them.
@@Tobi_237 & I'm saying even if he would have had to deal with the likes of Drogbas he would have won the duel hands down coz he is that strong and good.......and if you say that dzeko, haaland and Antonio are not physical then u r in cuckoo land, apart from being really strongly built and physical they are very quick that gives them an added advantage and like I said the game now is more about what u do with the ball not how u put the defender on the ground so the players are adapting to that type of game, previously it was more of a physical battle and beleive it or not VVD would have been the same had he played in that era....
1:07 THIS! I remember Gary Neville elaborated on that world class defending while commentating. He chose a lesser evil. When asked in the post match he explained he forced Sissoko to shoot rather than pass it to Son since he’s better shooter, believing in Alisson would be easier if he need to handle it. Similar when he 1v1 against Son, he forced hin to his weaker foot since he always study their opponents before.
This is a common tactic taught to defenders in 2v1 situations, always take away the passing lane and let the keeper focus on stopping the player with the ball without having to worry about a pass. It's hard to follow in game though because it seems wrong to not stop the ball (see Harry Maguire)
@@abcd6304 those are great players but no. You saw last season how bad Liverpool got without Van djik. He's Liverpool's Jaap Stam or Nemanja Vidic. The absolutely opposite of Harry Ma-fucking-guire.
@@marktaylor865 yeah maybe Allison and Mo Salah the second tier below VVD, Salah become consistent for becoming topscorer meanwhile Allison become the world best GK for awhile.
@@abcd6304 football has always been a team game and as we saw with united last few years. Bad defence and it doesn't matter how good the rest of your squad is. Mo Salah is a 9.5/10 player and Allison is maybe 8.9/10. Easily as talented as Van Dijk probably more so but he was the missing ingredient and tbh world class cb's are rarer than world class strikers. This is why I'm sure Liverpool will be just as good without Mane.
@@marktaylor865 yea agree VVD was a vital signing. Liverpool lack defence since the departure of Jamie, Skrtel or Agger was clearly visible and Mo Salah could've been easily replaced by another. Allison is good but still below VVD somehow.
I would always back VVD in any 1v1 against any current forward in European football. He is Psychologically dominant in any of these battles. You would really have to be good to out-trick him, out-muscle him or out-run him and with just a few exceptions it would be pointless to try and beat him in the air. Liverpool keepers must be in dreamland having him right in front of them. He is relaxed when paired with Gomez, Matip, Fabhino, Nat Philips or Konate and has the quality and ability to allow his partner or his wing-backs to go on a run whenever they feel like it. It shows just how much confidence the defensive unit have in his covering ability. Oh and his long diagonal passes are pure class. It's as simple as this, He's fuckin' AWESOME !!
he always stands at the perfect place between opposition’s choices (either to pass or dribble past him). and he knows his strength and weakness very well. a genius in reading opponent’s future movements. i rarely see him making individual mistakes. his awareness and concentration are top notch.
Doesn’t let them cut in at all, only forces them out…at times it feels like he is letting them go there….only to catch them at the last moment…NO WAY THROUGH! CLASS Defender!
He's an absolute beast 😎. And I think maybe it's because he's such a man-mountain that people don't realise how fast he is also. One of the all time greatest Premier League defenders of all time. 🏆
@@fabiosulku975 sorry but as a defender Ramos barely gets in top 10. Most red cards, never been in a backline that was considered elite, never known for his reading of the game, relied on his athleticism, prone to mistakes. I don’t make the rules.
This is the way to defend. Never step to the offender, the offender can easily pass you by and has an distance advantage. Walking with the offender the offender never passes tou and doesn’t know where to go
He forcing the opponet to make a long shot, if they lucky than maybe they'll score a goal but atleast the chance is much smaller than if he step to the opponet and got beaten.....like lautaro Martinez's goal on ucl
More like the opposite, he gives them like 2-3 meters space and just blocks the shooting/passing line constantly while making body movements which suggests he's ready for the sprint duel but if he turns he's also ready. He's trying to make them doubtful at the ball.
Merci pour ces vidéos sur Virgil Il est impressionnant en rapidité, c'est un fait Il est encore plus impressionnant en lecture de jeu, il est en pleine course, analyse le ballon, les mouvements et coupe l'action d'attaque sèchement En plus de ça,il connaît ses adversaires avant le match Mettre autant la misère aux meilleurs attaquants du monde, ça mérite le respect
He's so good he doesn't hardly ever need to make a sliding tackle like everyone else. He's got speed and power just ushers players out the way. If he continues for a few more years with this form he'll be considered in the top 5 defender's of all time.
The man is on Nesta Maldini level.i never thought i would see a defender of this class and finesse in modern football.a true pleasure to watch.best defender of the decade at least
Do you see its mostly the CDMs who actually clear the ball at the end? Defence is a unit, one cant be so supreme without the other. The presence and positioning of Van dijk slows things down , for the rest of the players to get back. And they do , always. Its clear coaching masterclass from Klopp.
I never seen any defenders run so fast when heung min son run with the ball in that speed oh my god Virgil stoping heung min son is unthinkable but he did man nobody can stop son in that position except virgil
Makes the art of defending look so simple it’s not just his pace it’s his decision making and footballing brain also, look how many times he gets wrong footed and still recovers and makes it look a lot easier than it is. Defending 101 there all youngsters should watch and learn and won’t go far wrong.
Maldini said: "If you make a tackle you already made a mistake" VVD defence just remains me of that he rarly do sliding tackels or only when he knows that he cannot catch up otherwise he stay calm and wait for the opertunity and get the ball with out overcommiting.
Effortless ability to cover the ground that he does. Just lengthens his stride and changes the angle, and voilà, dude is in perfect position without even breaking a sweat.
dude is a beast. totally changes the perception I've always had on defense to keep my back to my goal. it makes so much sense that he faces his side with attacker. if they try to place the ball beyond him he is already naturally between the ball now and has the advantage. awesome technique..
Doesn't over comit Doesn't under comit Looks like the favorite in 2v1s Always in the right spot Never Fazed Bigger than Haaland Faster than Sane VVV🔥🔥🔥
Damn good video of Van Dijk. There are so many "How to defend like Van Dijk" youtube videos which are great but its nice to see a great compilation of his strongest plays in one video. I love how he positions himself especially when covering 2 guys and how he times his movement and the way he pushes wingers off the ball to take it. Well done.
He is strong , fast as well as can change his directions with immense flexibility , the GOAT among defenders 🔥🔥🔥 . He believes in humiliating strikers with his techniques rather than breaking bones
And people have the nerve to say ramos is better. He only has trophies to show for it. If vvd was lucky enough to play for Real or Barca at the beginning of his career, hed easily be recognised as the greatest defender of all time
es indudablemente el mejor central del mundo y debe estar en el top3 de la historia. Lo tiene todo, fuerza, agilidad, velocidad, temperamento, juego aereo, goles, vision del juego y por sobretodo, una maldita calma que para ser futbol es sorprendente
People still looking at how much tackle stats he have but the thing is in some of the challenge he just position his body nicely and gets the ball without even tackling.
Van Dijk would be an extra ordinary defender in Handball. Tall, strong, tough and good at reading what attacker will do next. Not many attackers would pass him easilly, same as now in Football.
@@oddjobtriumph1635 Great players quotes about Lord Maguire😎 prove he's the GOAT🐐of defenders! "Ahh Maguire, I have never seen any footballers taking the defense apart like he does." Ronaldinho "Maguire is the most difficult player I have ever defended against." Luke shaw "He is the one player I've always had to keep an eye on during the whole match, he is simply unpredictable." Victor Lindelof "Every move he generates with his skills terrifies me." Raphael Varane "When he is in the box, Maguire is the toughest player I have ever had to deal with." David De Gea "There's no player running towards goal I fear more than Maguire." Wan Bissaka "At 80m, he is a bargain. He is the most consistent defender I have ever seen." Sir Alex Furgerson "He sees the spaces between defenders that no one else can." Mesut Ozil "He can play for both sides, such a class player." Roy keane "The greatest false 4 in history." Pep guardiola "This guy, he is feared even by his own teammates." Patrick Vieira "Give me Maguire and 10 pieces of wood and I will give you 11 pieces of wood." Zinedine Zidane "When Maguire leads a counter attack, we all rush back on goal to defend." Paul Pogba "Harry's sheer presence in this United squad is crucial to our success, he is simply irreplaceable." ~ Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man city "He is class. If every team had a player in their team like Maguire, they wouldn't need opposing teams." Xavi Hernandez "He is the best player I have ever played with." Mohammed Salah "There are two goals in the field, Maguire, he can score anywhere he likes. He is a phenomenon." Pele "He is the one player every club wants to have in the lineup.... . . ....Of the opposing team." Paolo Maldini "Everyone makes mistakes, even professionals, what Maguire does isn't.. Just pure skills." Neymar Jr "My only mistake was not being as consistent as him." Phil Jones "Maguire is the most kind hearted opponent I have ever faced." Roberto Firminho "I have never seen any CB playing the art of Onside trap as well as Maguire." Carles Puyol "He was born to defend his team from winning." Gary Neville "Don't judge a goal by its side, a goal is a goal." Harry Maguire "I almost lost my career because of him." Mr bean
