- author, luke lady
- role, bbc sports journalist
“They thought I was done,” Virgil van Dijk said as he stared into the camera in the Reds’ changing room, and then Dua Lipa’s hit “One Kiss” (which has been adopted by Liverpool fans in recent years) was heard. song) plays in the background.
The defender, and indeed captain in recent weeks, shook his head as he spoke.
Van Dijk is said to have been hurt by comments about his team’s performance as well as his own last season. Word filtered through that he was tired of the media’s praise turning so quickly and so brutally into criticism.
Fair or unfair? What is certain is that Van Dijk has become, in the words of the great Bill Shankly, a “giant” in recent weeks.
Some fans spoke of the best ever performance by a player in a Liverpool shirt after Sunday’s Carabao Cup victory. This is a very bold, yet understandable statement.
It was a day when Van Dijk found the back of the net twice and, alongside Van Dijk, played three roles in Liverpool’s back four with no fewer than six players. With a changing lineup in front of him in midfield, apart from the extraordinary Wataru Endo, it’s safe to say that the Reds captain, with one hand behind his back, still found the knockout blow. he was sensational.
On Thursday, we wrote on this page about how the Dutch defender provided an air of importance as the team once again fell short against Luton. We’ve explained how Van Dijk has won 24 of his last 25 Premier League games, but beyond the numbers, he’s somehow managed to unite and unite a much-changed team. , and how he made his presence known by sometimes digging deeper.
Van Dijk may feel the criticism of last season was unfair. What’s undeniable is that what he’s delivered in recent weeks is like night and day compared to back then. Deep down he seems to know where he is now. His nod to the traveling fans immediately after the goal showed off his confidence, showing confidence, swagger and conviction that screamed “I got this”.
What he puts together in the coming weeks will undoubtedly be the most important element of Liverpool’s season.
Anfield Rap’s Neil Atkinson said after Sunday’s win: “On the one hand he’s getting everyone through, but on the other hand he’s popping it out.” “I think we live in a Virgil van Dijk world.”
What did Dua Lipa say again?
“I look like everything you need.”
Van Dijk looks exactly like that at the moment. It’s far from complete.
It feels like he is the one person with the sole mission of starting this ever-changing Liverpool team.
