Jamie Carragher has defended Virgil van Dijk and attacked comparisons between the Liverpool defender and Manchester United great Nemanja Vidic. The Dutchman has been a key player for Liverpool since joining Jurgen Klopp’s team in January 2018 for £75 million. He was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 2018–19 and then was crucial to their title victory the following year.
The 31-year-old’s, performance though, has unquestionably declined recently, and during Sunday’s thrilling 2-2 draw with Arsenal, he again struggled. In the midst of a slump this season, Carragher has fiercely defended Virgil van Dijk by asserting that the Dutchman is better than Vidic, a former centre-back himself.
Carragher believes Van Dijk’s ‘impact’ on Liverpool has been the greatest ever in Premier League era
Carragher was responding to a tweet slamming Van Dijk’s lacklustre season after Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal on Sunday. The Dutch international was at fault for Gabriel Martinelli’s opener, where he accidentally put the ball in the platter for the Brazilian to put it past Alisson. Van Dijk has come under scanner for dismal performances this season, with one fan arguing that the 31-year-old should not be considered in the same league as some of the top defenders in Premier League history:
“Virgil Van Dijk’s drop off is actually insane. People were comparing him to Terry, Kompany, Rio and Vidic.”
But, Carragher, now a Sky Sports pundit, responded by claiming that Van Dijk’s drop-off was just transitory and criticised his comparison to Vidic in particular, stating categorically that the Liverpool man is a superior player to the former United captain. He made reference to the Dutchman’s contribution at Merseyside as well as the fact that Vidic had difficulty playing against Fernando Torres at the peak of the Spaniard’s career:
“VVD is far better than Vidic, who was a top CB, but have you forgot his performances against Torres? Rio & JT had poor seasons in their career like all players, VVD is having one now. No CB in the PL era has ever had VVD’s impact on a team.
“Never mind the best CB in the league; he’s been the best player in the league along with KDB for four years before this one. We have never spoken about about other CBs being the best player before, that shows the level he was at.”
Since joining the Reds in 2018, fans have been astounded by more than just Van Dijk’s defensive prowess throughout the years; they have also been stunned by his world-class presence on the ball. He has made 214 appearances so far for the club, and has won the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Super Cup, Club World Cup, FA Cup, and League Cup.
However, Van Dijk has struggled this season, losing a yard of speed and occasionally appearing shaky and uneasy. Klopp’s men have undoubtedly suffered due to the centre-back’s downfall this season, as they find themselves out of every cup competition, and a Premier League top-four finish seeming as their only achievable feat. But that too won’t be an easy asking since the Reds are languishing eighth in the table, 12 points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United.