Virgil van Dijk has come under far more criticism this campaign than any of his previous four for Liverpool and one commentator has shared his thoughts on the defender.
Speaking to Football Insider, Sky Sports occasional pundit Paul Robinson spoke about the Netherlands captain and his return from a knee injury: “He’s as fit as anyone.
“I think his drop in form has nothing to do with his fitness levels or fatigue from last season. I just think he’s playing on a team that’s struggling. He has been more exposed than in previous seasons.
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“Liverpool are conceding goals cheaply. When the praise comes from keeping a clean sheet, the criticism will come from playing poorly and conceding goals.
“I think Van Dijk is a victim of team performance more than individual struggles. I don’t think he has a hangover from last year.”
Much has been said about an apparent ‘fall in form’, but it’s easy to forget that this season has been far from disastrous so far and we will return from the international break with a run of two clean sheets in three league games.
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Our number 4 could have won the Ballon d’Or a couple of seasons ago, that’s the level of defender he was and is, so any slight dip in performance is greatly magnified.
As the former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper says, it’s not like the 31-year-old is solely to blame for any drop in team performance and results.
Everyone is responsible for what is happening and Jurgen Klopp is confident that this team of players can be back in good shape, as soon as we come back with a run of games and a fit team.
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