11 months ago
172 Virgil van Dijk has been exceptional for Liverpool this season.
The Dutch defender looks much improved from last term, but, at the same time, he still isn’t playing his best football.
As good as Van Dijk has been these past few months, he’s not quite hit the heights he did during the 2019/20 season when he was a bona fide Ballon d’Or contender.
Speaking on the It’s All Kicking Off Podcast, Chris Sutton has been discussing Van Dijk and his peak form, and he says that it may be time to just accept that while Van Dijk is still an exceptional player, he’s never going to hit the heights he did a few years ago due to his ACL injury.
Van Dijk is past his best
Sutton shared his verdict on the £75m man.
“I think we have to accept that because of the Pickford challenge he’s not going to be the same again. He’s never going to go back to having that pace. It got to the stage where attacking players just didn’t know how to beat him in their mind, but that’s not the case anymore,” Sutton said.
No shame in that
Van Dijk may never get back to the level he showed in 2020, but there’s no shame in that.
If we’re being honest, there may not be a defender in history who has reached the levels Van Dijk showed during that title-winning season, and the fact that the Dutchman is past his best isn’t something to be ashamed of.
Even past his peak, Van Dijk may well be the best centre-back on the planet, and he’s still more than good enough to lead Liverpool to major honours.
Van Dijk remains a fantastic player, even if he isn’t the superpower he once was.
The post ‘We have to accept that’: Chris Sutton says £75m Liverpool player is past his best now appeared first on TBR Football.
