PL defender pays flattering compliment to Liverpool superstar Virgil van Dijk

Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero makes Virgil van Dijk claim

Speaking to the radio station Como Te Va as quoted by Infobae (h/t Football London)

, Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero has praised Liverpool central defender Virgil Van Dijk and admits he played a key part in Romero’s adaptation to the Premier League.

“When I was a boy I used to watch Puyol and Pique’s Barcelona a lot. Today I watch van Dijk a lot.”

Tottenham signed Cristian Romero from Atlanta last season and he has already become a fan favourite with his aggressive no-nonsense defending and ability to play from the back.

However, he has been advised to stay cautious with his tackles with the player receiving 11 yellow cards in his first campaign for Spurs.

It would be wise to argue that Cristian Romero is following in the correct footsteps to be a success in the Premier League. As mentioned, he has the utmost admiration for Van Dijk and deservedly so.

Since making his move to Liverpool, Van Dijk has gone from strength to strength and established himself as one of the top defenders to ever play in the Premier League.

The Dutchman has been an integral member of the UEFA Champions League and Premier League-winning Liverpool team under Jurgen Klopp and many regard his signing as the one which changed the fortunes at Anfield.

It is important to remember the 2020/2021 season where Virgil faced a season-ender injury

because of a reckless challenge by Jordan Pickford. His early season departure subsequently resulted in a decline in Liverpool’s performance.

Therefore, his importance to the team cannot be disregarded and as we all see, the team looks considerably stronger when he is on the pitch. It wasn’t until he arrived that Liverpool started to win trophies.

Before him, we were merely challengers. Van Dijk provides a sense of calmness and assurance to the back line which allows Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander Arnold to push higher up the pitch.

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In spite of the first two results, there is still a long way to go before the season ends and Van Dijk would have a big part to play if we have to mount a title challenge to rivals Manchester City.