Football pundit Danny Murphy picks Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk in his Premier League Team of the Season
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy picks captain Virgil van Dijk in his Premier League Team of the Season. The Reds are currently at the top of the Premier League table with Van Dijk playing a crucial role.
Liverpool have also successfully progressed in the Europa League and the Carabao Cup, challenging on all fronts for now. The Reds’ formidable defence has conceded the least number of goals in the Premier League so far with just 18.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp appointed Van Dijk as the club’s captain to lead his “Liverpool 2.0” after making numerous changes. The Dutchman has taken the job of the captain seriously, leading by example on and off the pitch.
The 32-year-old faced scrutiny last season as he struggled in the leaking Liverpool defence alongside his ageing teammates. Critics believed the ACL injury during the 2020-21 season has caused lasting damage to the Dutch captain’s career.
However, Van Dijk has dominated the Liverpool defence with many believing that this season is his best one so far. To back those claims, stats-based site Squawka reported the aerial dominance the 32-year-old has enjoyed this season.
The Dutchman has recorded 81.8%, the highest aerial duel win rate, in the Premier League up till 27th December 2023. His dominance in the air and on the ground played a pivotal role in defensive success despite an injury crisis.
Murphy told talkSPORT via YouTube that Van Dijk has no weakness in his game right now. He said:
“I think he’s got back to his best, and that’s why I’ve put him in. He’s a huge reason why Liverpool are sat at the top of the table. He looks really strong again, really quick, motivated, all the things we saw of him when he was getting all the praise. He’s getting back to it. I don’t see a weakness in his game.”
Liverpool have lost Joel Matip to a season-long injury and they are currently without both of their natural left-backs. Andy Robertson will return at the latter part of January while Kostas Tsimikas suffered a long-term injury.
Nevertheless, the Reds have not looked weak in defensive phases and a lot of credit goes towards the Liverpool captain. Van Dijk has remained an immovable object in the backline, keeping the structure of the team intact.
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The only issue Liverpool have faced is the lapse in concentration at times, costing them first goal in many games. Van Dijk needs to help his team get over this complacent habit as the competition at the top leaves no margin for error.
