VAN DIJK BOUNCES BACK FROM SCHOOLBOY ERROR
PLAY to the whistle. It is one of the simplest instructions in football, a command you will hear coaches telling children on every park across the country every weekend. It gets drilled into them over and over to ensure that stupid mistakes don’t get made: do not stop, no matter how aggrieved you feel, until the referee intervenes. So, surely it is second nature for the most expensive defender in world football? For some reason, Virgil van Dijk shortcircuited in the second minute of the biggest game in which he has played. Van Dijk, in possession out towards the left touchline, wanted a free-kick for an innocuous push by Raheem Sterling. When it didn’t come, his clearance was intercepted
by Bernardo Silva and from there City broke to score and turn the tie into a frenzy. The mistake was as untimely as it was unexpected. Van Dijk has been impressive since his £75million January move from Southampton. He has lifted the levels of those around him. He was a player Pep Guardiola wanted to sign, prompting Saints’ players to buy him a Manchester City shirt for a Secret Santa present. But his ambition was to join Liverpool once he learned of Jurgen Klopp’s interest. Last night was the kind of match for which he was bought. Van Dijk laughed off the idea he might be nervous on the eve of the game, insisting it was nights like this to which he had aspired. That is why it came as such a surprise to see him switch off. It was a mistake that could lead some players to fold and for a couple of minutes you wondered, particularly when he shanked a clearance out of play. But he recovered with key interceptions and helped Liverpool to withstand the first half ‘thunderstorm’ which Klopp had predicted. When it raged at its most intense, he ensured that the objective of becoming Champions League semi-finalists was met. ‘They’ve had a weakness, but the arrival of Van Dijk has had such a big lift around them,’ former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard observed from the BT Sport studio. ‘He’s cajoling them, he’s lifted Dejan Lovren and has even helped the goalkeeper.’ If they are to go any further, however, improvement is still required.