What would United give for Van Dijk?
IT was a small moment, barely six minutes into the game, but it was a perfect demonstration of the command and authority that would follow.
with Crystal Palace trying to get an early foothold, a ball was hoisted towards Christian Benteke. The Belgian’s time at Liverpool was sadly underwhelming but he has a habit of scoring goals against them. He was intent on doing so again.
But before the striker could think about jumping, Virgil van Dijk manoeuvred himself into position. He placed his arm on Benteke’s back, rolled his shoulders and chest forward and applied some leverage. Benteke was pinned and Palace’s moment was gone.
That is the thing about Van Dijk. Everyone talks about him being a great defender because of his hulking size and physical strength but it’s the little things he does so well: his timing, his reading of the game — how often do you see him in a position where he needs to make a sliding tackle?
There is a reason Jurgen Klopp was happy for Liverpool to obliterate their transfer record to sign Van Dijk and it was for nights such as these, when you want leaders to emerge and provide guidance. That is what Van Dijk does.
He implored Liverpool’s midfielders to concentrate and swept balls effortlessly out to the right for Trent alexanderarnold to scurry after. Here was a player in total control.
The header he won to set the attack in motion for the clinching second goal glossed Van Dijk’s performance.
what Liverpool would have given to have Van Dijk the last time they played at selhurst Park on a Monday night. That, of course, was in May 2014, when their implosion in the final frenzied 20 minutes led to the disintegration of their title ambitions.
Back then, Van Dijk was finishing his first season with Celtic, deemed not good enough