Van Dijk has turned Liverpool’s dodgy backline into an impregnable force and says: Pressure? I’m simply thriving on it
KEY for his club, a colossus for his country.
Virgil van Dijk continues to show why the £75million Liverpool coughed up for him in January was money well spent.
His calm assurance has turned a backline with an academy graduate, a left-back who played in the Scottish Third Division six years ago, and a full-back converted to a centre-back into the joint-best defence in the Premier League.
And his towering presence allows Liverpool to go to Paris Saint-Germain tomorrow with confidence brimming ahead of a tough Champions League examination
The Reds, who got into hot water during their initial pursuit of the Dutchman when he was at Southampton, kept yet another clean sheet – their eighth in the Premier League this season – when winning 3-0 at Watford on Saturday.
And once again Van Dijk, who gave Watford striker Troy Deeney barely a kick, caught the eye. But it’s not just for Liverpool that the 27-year-old is winning plaudits.
He is captain of the Holland team that has reached the semifinals of the Nations League alongside England.
“Both teams have great players and everyone wants to do their best,” Van Dijk said. “In the end we all do it together and I am just enjoying every minute of it.
“At a club like Liverpool you always feel a bit of pressure. You should do. But it doesn’t bother me.
“I just want to play. I want to enjoy the games because not a lot of people have the chance to do what we do. That’s how we started football, by enjoying what we are doing, and that’s what I try to do as well.”
Anfield right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has credited his rapid rise to stardom to Van Dijk’s influence.
But the big Dutchman, while acknowledging that he can be vocal, says Alexander-Arnold, together with Scottish left-back Andy Robertson and centre-back partner Joe Gomez, should pat themselves on the back rather than heap praise on him.
“First of all it is big credit to them,” he said. “When things are going well I like to motivate them but it’s important to praise them when things are not going well.
“I have to make sure that they don’t hide or become afraid because of their mistakes.
“That’s something I want for myself. So I just tell them that we need to communicate with each other.
“To make sure that everyone is awake, to tell each other the truth when things are not going well and, when things are going well, to praise each other because it is not easy what we do.” Liverpool’s front players have been criticised for failing to recapture the electric form they showed last season but Van Dijk is backing them to come good.
“They’ve been doing a lot of good work for us,” he said. “Just like they did last season.
“There is always room for improvement but we should not forget how good they still are for us and how important they are. They are going to keep doing what they are doing and getting better. They will achieve good things this year.”