‘Very casual’: Pundit says one Liverpool player barely even looks like he’s trying sometimes

Some of the best footballers in the world play the game at a snail’s pace.

Lionel Messi spends most of his time standing still on a football pitch, Dimitar Berbatov never broke a sweat during his time in the Premier League, while Paul Pogba never seemed to sprint during his time at Manchester United.

This laidback approach can work brilliantly, but it also leaves players open to criticism as their effort levels and workrate come into question.

Sadly, Virgil van Dijk is currently being caught in the crossfire of this debate.

Indeed, Van Dijk’s casual style of playing is being called into question, and speaking on Virgin Media Sport, Damien Delaney has criticised the Liverpool star for his style of play.

Photo by Robert Smith/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Too casual

Delaney shared his verdict on Van Dijk.

“They’re in a period of change, the manager is there looking to implement certain ideas, when implementing change and playing the likes of France, Croatia and Italy you will get caught out badly. They got a good win against Gibraltar, they need to win tonight and go on a run to finish strongly. I agree that there is a casualness and a lackadaisical feel. Absolutely, he is one (Van Dijk), the captain sets the tone and takes the lead. Other players will pick up on his energy and sometimes he is very casual and other players it rubs off on them, and the casualness seeps into the team. He needs to set the tone and the tempo, playing quick, strong, defending correctly and engaging players to stop shots getting in on goal,” Delaney said.

Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

It works

It’s easy to criticise any player who plays in this style, but, at the end of the day, it works for Van Dijk.

The Dutchman is a former PFA Player of the Year for a reason, and while it sometimes doesn’t look like he’s trying, sometimes that’s the beauty of a player like this.

To be so dominant while not breaking a sweat is incredible, and our advice is that if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

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