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I find it really hard to criticise Virgil van Dijk. I think he’s the best Premier League defender ever. He’s been enormously instrumental in Liverpool winning every competition of note at least once during his stint.
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But I’m finding some of his mistakes hard to take this season. Not because he isn’t allowed to make any, but because of the sloppiness with which he makes them.
He’s not making them because he’s bad, or got any worse at football. He’s just too relaxed. Van Dijk plays like football is too easy for him – but that style, that nonchalant attitude, is costing us.
Van Dijk is more than capable of clearing the ball that led to Bournemouth’s opener on Saturday. Of course he is. It’s just a lack of concentration. When you’re struggling as much as Liverpool are this term, it’s entirely unhelpful.
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He then played the attacker onside for Bournemouth’s second and was at the scene of the crime for the third. It was a really poor performance.
Van Dijk is 34 years old. Mohamed Salah is 33. The truth is, the two players who’ve been Liverpool’s best in the past trophy-laden decade are old.
Last season, it didn’t matter. They were the best defender and best attacker in the country. In 2025-26, though, they’ve been way, way off it.
Are there many examples of players approaching their mid-30s re-emerging as elite stars following a slump? There sadly isn’t.
Find more from Jordan Chamberlain at Empire of the Kop
