Ashley Barnes joins the Virgil van Dijk appreciation society
Burnley forward Ashley Barnes has joined the appreciation society for Liverpool monster Virgil van Dijk.
Troy Deeney already hates playing against the Red’s machine and now Barnes has joined the club, he admitted in an interview with the Daily Mail that he’s never been able to get the better of van Dijk.
The forward has a bit of a reputation for his ability to get inside the head of players at bigger teams. Whether he’s kissing defenders or laughing at Mateo Kovacic, Barnes enjoys the mental and physical side of Premier League football.
“I do like to wind up the big teams, and sometimes they fall for it, sometimes not. Of course I enjoy playing the villain,” he said.
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But he doesn’t enjoy them against Big Virg, as the Mail reported.
“It didn’t work against Liverpool with van Dijk, though, he was just way too strong and powerful and I couldn’t get near him. The guy is a machine and completely deserves Player of the Year.”
The former Southampton man is such a good defender and barely makes a wrong move during games. While some questioned his transfer fee when he signed for the Reds, nobody is doing so now and that shows how good van Dijk has become.
If some of the most streetwise, formidable forwards in the league don’t like playing against him it talks volumes about how good the Dutchman is.
Hopefully Barnes has more success against the Manchester City backline on Sunday afternoon. The Englishman has an excellent record against the Big Six and will look to break Pep Guardiola’s heart.
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And if he can do so, he’ll be named as a Liverpool legend as well as a Burnley one. If he can do so, he’ll give the Reds a chance of winning the league and handing van Dijk the winners’ medal he deserves.