He’s back.
It always seemed quite bizarre to throw criticism at the feet of Virgil van Dijk, a player whom many still hold in very high regard even without half a yard of pace.
Squawka’s stats, however, as released on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, indicate that Liverpool’s perhaps most valuable asset has returned to the peak of his powers.
It's official, Virgil van Dijk is the best centre-back in the Premier League right now:
◉ Highest duel success (10+ contested)
◉ 0 errors leading to shots
◉ 0 dispossessions
◉ 0 x dribbled pastVVD is back. 😤
— Squawka (@Squawka) November 14, 2023
Remember the days of rival fans praying that it would be their side, their tricky dribbler, who would be the first to worm their way past our Dutch colossus?
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Just how good is Virgil van Dijk?
Remember the furore over former Arsenal man Nicolas Pepe being the first man to find a way past our No.4 back in 2019 in his last 50 matches in Premier League football?
Utter insanity.
Though Virgil can’t take all the credit for our defensive solidity this term, he’s no doubt a big reason why we’ve maintained the joint-best defensive record in the league alongside Mikel Arteta’s Gunners.
The best centre-back in the league? Without a doubt. The best in the world? We’ll leave that up to you to decide!