With all the hype around Liverpool stars Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane, it almost seems like Virgil Van Dijk has been forgotten by Liverpool fans.
The fact that the Dutchman is barely getting any shouts for Player of the Year demonstrates how he is starting to get taken for granted. Henderson has, Mane hasn’t been ignored either.
It seems like everyone has become numb to the brilliance of the reigning UEFA Men’s Player of the Year. The amazement of watching Virgil van Dijk calmly get Liverpool out of trouble before trouble even comes or playing a pitch-perfect ball halfway across the pitch has diminished as that’s what everyone expects him to do.
In fact, the bar is so high for the 28-year-old center-back that a simple mistake from him always goes viral on social media.
Liverpool’s defense has faced more hardships this season compared to the last—with Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren, Alisson, and Fabinho all missing game time due to injury. Despite that, the Reds have the most clean sheets and have allowed the least amount of goals in the Premier League. Of course, a big part of that is down to the stellar consistency of van Dijk. It would be hard for any defense to go into shambles when he’s at the helm.
The Dutchman’s influence in defense expands to his ability to improve others around him. This season, the biggest benefactor has been Joe Gomez. Virgil van Dijk’s skill set is perfectly complemented by Gomez, who will probably be in contention for future Player of the Year awards.
Just before all of football came to a pause, the young Englishman was playing some of the best football of his career so far. Alongside Van Dijk, the duo went on an unprecedented run of 11 clean sheets in 12 games.
But there’s more to the Dutchman’s game than just defending. The team’s build-up play usually runs through the Dutchman as he leads all of the Premier League in passes with 2,478. There have been countless times where he single-handedly started an attack by delivering flawless long balls to the front three.
Additionally, he provides a towering threat on set pieces. Not only are Liverpool the best set-piece defending team, but they are also one of the best at attacking set-pieces. A major reason for this is van Dijk, who leads all defenders in headed goals from set-pieces.
The Dutchman is still arguably the most important player in this Liverpool side. Considering all of the awards that he won last season, the defender might be a boring pick for Player of the Year, but that is a testament to how good he has become.