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Tag: Virgil van Dijk

  • EPL: Liverpool captain, Virgil van Dijk reveals who to blame for 2-2 with Manchester United

    EPL: Liverpool captain, Virgil van Dijk reveals who to blame for 2-2 with Manchester United

    Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has heaped blame on his teammates for their inability to beat Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

    According to him, Liverpool had many chances to bury the game against Man United at Old Trafford but failed to so.

    It would be recalled that Liverpool dominated in the first half but only led 1-0 through Luis Diaz’s acrobatic effort.

    Man United responded with two goals through Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo, before a late penalty from Mohamed Salah rescued a point for the visitors.

    Speaking to the BBC after the game, the Dutchman said: “It feels like a loss, it is our fault again.

    “We had so many chances and we should finish the game off.

    “Unfortunately the individual mistake that happened with the equaliser and we had so much time to put it right, but we were in a rush.

    “Still after being 2-1 down we created so much.”

  • EPL: Why I benched, Van Dijk, Salah ,Trent against Chelsea – Klopp

    EPL: Why I benched, Van Dijk, Salah ,Trent against Chelsea – Klopp

    Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, has stated reasons to leave out winger Mohamed Salah, Right back Andy Robertson from the starting XI for their clash at Chelsea.

    The Reds played out a 0-0 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night .

    Recall that Klopp’s Liverpool lost by 4-1 against Manchester City over the weekend at the Etihad.

    Klopp has made six changes from that match at the Etihad, with Salah, Alexander-Arnold, Robertson dropping to the bench.

    Defender Virgil van Dijk is not included in the match day squad due to illness.

    “Virgil’s unavailable. All the rest, some get rest, some need rest.

    “We need fresh minds. We are not overly happy so there must be an opportunity for other players to show what they can do,” Klopp told Sky Sports.

  • You’re wrong about Van Dijk, Koeman tells Klopp

    You’re wrong about Van Dijk, Koeman tells Klopp

    The brother of former Holland coach Ronald Koeman believes Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk will be fit for the Euros.

    Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has insisted Van Dijk’s rehab from knee surgery will prevent him from making Holland’s squad.

    But Koeman told De Telegraaf: “Virgil has a certain value for the team but also a financial value for the club.

    “So the stakes are enormous and that explains why Jurgen Klopp is very defensive in his statements.”

    Koeman was in a similar situation to Van Dijk ahead of the 1990 World Cup.

    He recovered from a long-term knee injury shortly before the tournament and was able to represent his country in Italy.

    “As a player, you give everything to get fit,” he added.

    “You actually want to play the tournament at all costs, sometimes against your better judgement.

    “I can totally imagine what he is doing.

    “Who knows, maybe he can play a match for Liverpool before the European Championship, as that would help.”

  • Liverpool gives update on Virgil van Dijk’s knee ligament surgery

    Liverpool gives update on Virgil van Dijk’s knee ligament surgery

    Liverpool have confirmed that Virgil van Dijk has undergone ‘successful’ surgery on the knee injury he sustained in October’s Merseyside derby.

    The club are still reluctant to put a time-frame on the defender’s return to action.

    Early reports on the injury, caused by a challenge from Jordan Pickford, suggested the Dutchman’s season could be over, and those fears were compounded when the Reds omitted him from their Premier League squad list until January at the earliest.

    He faces an extensive period of rehabilitation if he is to play any further part in their title defense, but the early signs suggest his recovery is on track – after a club statement was released, saying:

    “Virgil van Dijk has undergone surgery on the knee ligament injury he sustained earlier this month. The Liverpool defender’s planned operation took place in London and was conducted successfully. Van Dijk will now immediately focus on the beginning of his rehabilitation with the support of the Reds’ medical department.

    “Van Dijk will now immediately focus on the beginning of his rehabilitation with the support of the Reds’ medical department.

    “No time-frame has been placed on the Dutchman’s return to action.

  • Sol Campbell questions hype around Van Dijk

    Sol Campbell questions hype around Van Dijk

    Former Arsenal defender Sol Campbell has questioned the hype around Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk.

    Campbell has called out Virgil van Dijk for potentially becoming complacent and questioned how good he would be in a different era.

    He told the Athletic: “I know Van Dijk struggled in the Villa game, but he stands out these days because he’s head and shoulders above everyone else, which makes me wonder if that is hampering him at the same time.

    “He’s the complete player in that position and has made it look easy, but maybe he’s not been challenged enough and then, like a cricketer being done by a slower ball, he’s come unstuck.

    “If you’ve not been worrying about forwards troubling you, sometimes you drop your guard a fraction. It’s a natural human thing.

    “Maybe that’s seeped in a bit at Liverpool in general. I’m sure Jurgen Klopp will recognise that and get them back on track.

    “It would be interesting to see if Van Dijk would have stood out had he been playing in our time when there were lots of great centre-halves: me, John Terry, Tony Adams, Martin Keown, Jamie Carragher, Kolo Toure, Jaap Stam.

    “It’d be interesting to see how he’d fit in with all these guys. And we had Robbie Fowler, Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, Duncan Ferguson all coming at us in very different ways, not to mention defenders like Matt Elliott, Steve Walsh, Gerry Taggart at Leicester. Big guys flying at you at set plays.

    “You had your work cut out. You had to be on it, brave in the air, because if you weren’t they were pounding you.

    “They were quick, strong, tall, skillful… every week you got tested. I reckon Van Dijk would be OK, he’d cope with that, but it would be interesting to watch. He’d certainly be under pressure.”

  • Liverpool pull out of new contract talks with Van Dijk

    Liverpool pull out of new contract talks with Van Dijk

    Liverpool have stunned Virgil van Dijk with a decision to stall on new contract talks, it has been revealed.

    De Telegraaf says Liverpool and Van Dijk’s camp are no longer discussing new terms.

    Liverpool have pulled back from negotiations after their finances have been hit hard by the coronavirus suspension. The terms demanded by Van Dijk cannot be matched by the Reds at this stage.

    For the moment, the two parties are now no longer in contact.

    And watching developments closely are PSG, where it’s mooted Van Dijk will be assured a €300,000-a-week package will be waiting for him should he agitate for a Liverpool transfer this summer.

  • Van Dijk to become highest paid in Liverpool history

    Van Dijk to become highest paid in Liverpool history

    Liverpool are ready to make Virgil van Dijk the highest paid player in their history.

    The Sun says he will become the highest-paid player in Liverpool’s history with a new £220,000-a-week deal.

    The Dutch defender, 28, will commit to a five-year contract — worth a massive £57million — once Jurgen Klopp’s side have the Premier League title in the bag.

    And it will end fears that the reigning PFA Players’ Player of the Year will jump ship to Paris Saint-Germain.

    The mega-rich French club have made it known to Van Dijk that they would love to sign him this summer — but his head has not been turned.

    He currently earns £180,000 a week and could earn another £100,000 on top of that in the French capital.

    Instead, Van Dijk is understood to be content to accept the £40,000-a-week rise that will take him ahead of the current top earner Mo Salah.

    Egyptian idol Salah earns £200,000 a week.

  • Why Messi beat Ronaldo, Van Dijk to win 6th Ballon d’or

     

    Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi won the 2019 Ballon d’Or award yesterday, for the world’s best male footballer for a record sixth time after an outstanding campaign with La Liga giants in the 2018/2019 season.

    The 32-year-old Argentine scored 36 goals in 34 La Liga matches as Barcelona defended their title, while he managed a further 12 goals in just 10 Champions League appearances.

    In total, Messi scored 56 goals in 60 appearances for club and country last season.

    Messi beat his old foe Cristiano Ronaldo to the award – who won the Serie A title in his debut season with Juventus – as well as Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, who earlier this season won the Uefa Men’s Player of the Year.

    Between 2008 and 2017, Messi and Ronaldo dominated the award with 5 wins each.

    A year ago Real Madrid’s Luka Modric became the first player not named Ronaldo or Messi to win the Ballon d’Or since Kaka in 2007

    Luka Modric missed out on a place on the 30-man shortlist this time around.

    Liverpool’s Van Dijk who finished as runner up to Messi in balloting for the FIFA FIFPro Men’s Player of the Year, was hoping to become the first defender to win the Ballon d’Or since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.

    The Ballon d’Or makes it seven individual awards for Messi in the last seven months.

    • Pichichi Trophy (La Liga top scorer)
    • La Liga Best Player
    • Golden Shoe (top scorer in Europe)
    • UEFA Forward of the year
    • FIFA FIPro World 11
    • FIFA FIPro Best Player
  • Don’t compare me to Messi – Van Dijk

    Don’t compare me to Messi – Van Dijk

    Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk insisted he cannot be compared to Lionel Messi, dismissing any suggestions he was disappointed not to win the Best FIFA Men’s Player award.

    Van Dijk finished second to Barcelona superstar Messi for the prize on Monday, with Juventus and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo third.

    The Dutch defender’s nomination came after a Champions League-winning campaign, as Van Dijk helped guide the Reds past Tottenham in the finale.

    The centre-back said there was no way he could be compared to Messi, who scored 51 goals in all competitions in 2018-19.

    “The people who vote made a decision and you have to accept it,” Van Dijk told reporters.

    “That’s just the case and as players you can’t compare me and Messi because it’s totally different.

    “I’m very proud to be here.”

  • EPL: Van Dijk worth his £75m transfer fee – Pochettino

    EPL: Van Dijk worth his £75m transfer fee – Pochettino

    Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino says Liverpool have been proven right in their decision to spend a record-breaking £75m on Virgil van Dijk.

    Liverpool broke the world-record fee for a defender when they agreed a deal to sign the Dutchman from Southampton in January last year, with Van Dijk proving to be indispensable at the heart of Jurgen Klopp’s side ever since.

    “When a team like Liverpool need to improve their team in a certain area, people said it was crazy to pay £70m for a centre-back,” Pochettino said.

    “But Liverpool were right. They picked Van Dijk, because at that moment they believed he was the best centre-back in England who could make them better, and they were right.

    “Some people said: ‘Why would you pay £70m for a centre-back?’ But the people who believed other things have now been shown that Liverpool were right.

    “If you are going to sign the player who is going to improve your team, then it is not a lot of money. Because when you consider what it means to win a Champions League or a Premier League, it is cheaper to spend this type of money.”