- Virgil van Dijk has been at his commanding best for Liverpool this season
- But the Reds skipper is out of contract at the end of the 2024-25 campaign
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Calm as you like. Those four words are always given emphasis when Liverpool fans sing about Virgil van Dijk, how he defends and passes the ball.
Nothing fazes him, nothing drags him into the realms of the uncertain. In some ways, you could say he is a master of deception as he makes you think it is all so easy when he moves effortlessly through the gears, looking like a man in a game for boys.
Easy? No chance. Van Dijk is to defending what Roger Federer was to tennis – the standard-setter, elegant and untouchable. The argument to anoint William Saliba or his Arsenal partner Gabriel Magalhaes as the best defender in the Premier League ends when van Dijk is introduced to the mix.
Through Liverpool’s assured start to the campaign, a constant has been the commanding displays of their captain. Others are getting plenty of headlines, and rightly so, but he is the holding block in this Jenga tower – take van Dijk away and the structure would start to wobble.
‘I think he’s better than ever just now,’ said Andrew Robertson, who has been on van Dijk’s left side for seven years. ‘He’s our main man at the back. He’s pushing us all and he has been fantastic so far. We need him to keep going for the rest of the season and all the lads do the same.’
Virgil van Dijk has turned in several commanding displays for Liverpool so far this season
The Reds skipper was at it again as Arne Slot’s side beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1
All eyes are on Van Dijk’s contract situation as his deal expires at the end of the season
A 2-1 win at Wolves, secured thanks to an Ibrahima Konate header and a Mo Salah penalty 90 seconds after Rayan Ait-Nouri had restored parity, won’t get anywhere near Van Dijk’s highlights reel and some would even put forward Diogo Jota or Ryan Gravenberch as the game’s best player.
Smoothly, almost under the radar, Liverpool have moved to the top of the embryonic table and were always in control against Wolves team who, ridiculously, kept playing themselves into trouble by passing out from the back. The natives were restless and Gary O’Neil’s players were uncomfortable.
‘Nobody is paying attention to the table,’ said Van Dijk. ‘December is always the crucial month. The teams who go through that well, winning games and having no injuries, have a big chance to be successful. Let’s see what happens when it really ramps up.’
Through this contest, though, the eye kept being drawn to van Dijk and the aura he possesses. He reads the game so perfectly that he is always two steps ahead and the slight tweaks Arne Slot has made to Liverpool’s set up, with an added emphasis on possession, have accentuated his qualities.
Critics have been intent on banging a drum for a couple of years that van Dijk has not been the same player since he ruptured his cruciate ligament in October 2020 but it is nonsense. The last 12 months, during which time he scored a winning goal in the Carabao Cup final, show his influence.
‘The injury he had was horrendous,’ said Robertson. ‘One of the worst you can get in football. It was always going to take time to get back to your level. I think he got back pretty quickly. It’s was about getting his sharpness and fitness. Now, when he’s at his best he makes it look easy – but it’s not.’
A glowing endorsement and one that only serves to illustrate the work Liverpool have on their agenda to ensure a resolution is found to his contractual situation. When you have the best in the business, why would you risk throwing it away?
