The ECHO’s end-of-season rating continue with an appraisal of Virgil van Dijk, who enjoyed a near flawless campaign to skipper the side to the title
If Mohamed Salah’s 29 goals all but fired Liverpool to the Premier League title, club captain Virgil van Dijk’s contributions in defence were just as important for Arne Slot. Once more, the Reds skipper showed why he remains one of the most vaunted centre-backs on the planet, and why the club were so determined to tie him to an extra two years.
Van Dijk completed the most passes in the Premier League last season with nearly 400 more than the next best in Chelsea’s Levi Colwill, which is a statistic that highlights the captain’s importance to the build-up phases of play under Slot.
No player kept more clean sheets than the Netherlands skipper’s total of 14 and he didn’t miss a game before the Premier League title was confirmed in late April, demonstrating his durability in spades for those who still cling to the idea that he is a busted flush after serious and long-term knee injury of October 2020.
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Van Dijk made 190 clearances in total, which places him just outside the top 10 in the division but given the onus is often on attacking and possession for the Reds, that is still an impressive statistic, while his form eventually landed him with a spot in the Premier League’s team of the season alongside Arsenal’s William Saliba, as picked by the legendary Alan Shearer .
“Imperious and unflappable as always, even when there was so much uncertainty about whether this would be his last season at Liverpool,” Shearer wrote.
“He put that to bed by signing a new contract in April, just a few days after taking his team to the brink of the title with a last-gasp winner against West Ham. Despite a great season for Dan Burn, there’s no way I can leave Van Dijk out.”
The contract issue lingered all season but Van Dijk never let it affect him and his performances against the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal between September and November were key to seeing the Reds hit the front relatively early on.
“Virgil has a lot of game intelligence, he reads the game very well,” Slot said in January. “He’s big and strong, he’s fast. I was impressed by how he is in ball possession.
“From the first session I did I was like ‘wow’ this is someone who can delay his choice, he can wait until the last moment to play a ball through the lines. He’s a complete player.”
A gargantuan display came at the Etihad to shut out Man City in February in a 2-0 victory that went a long way towards sealing the title itself and as a second clean sheet in quick succession arrived a few days later at home to Newcastle United to take Liverpool further clear of Arsenal. After that, there were few doubting Slot’s men would be champions.
Once the championship was confirmed, Van Dijk turned his hand to organisation the celebrations, speaking personally to superstar hitmaker Calvin Harris to DJ on board the club’s open-top bus.
He also reached out to the iconic Alan Hansen to make sure he was part of the festivities when the title itself was lifted.
Van Dijk is a class act.
A brand new contract means the conscience of the dressing room remains for the next two years as a minimum and his continued presence fuels the belief that this can be a glittering period at Anfield under Slot and owners FSG.
Rating: 10/10
