Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen simultaneously assessed that Van Dijk’s declining form was the factor that made Liverpool difficult this season.
Van Dijk has been Liverpool’s main star since moving to Anfield for a fee of £75m in January 2018. However, Van Dijk has struggled this season along with the entire Liverpool defence. Because of that, The Kop had to receive the heaviest defeat in history after 2 matches against Real Madrid in the 1/8 Champions League round.
Over the weekend, Van Dijk also made a mistake in Philip Billing’s goal when he could not prevent Dango Ouattara’s cross.
Sharing about Van Dijk’s decline, Rio Ferdinand said: “There are periods in your career where things don’t go according to plan. But look at the great central defenders like Vidic, Kompany, Campbell, Terry, Jaap Stam. They didn’t have a bad season or a long period of bad play like maybe eight or nine games.
The form of the team is also an important factor. It has an effect because you will play as well as the teammates around you. But right now, Van Dijk doesn’t have the advantage of the way Liverpool play.”
Michael Owen believes that Liverpool’s ups and downs in the season are partly due to Van Dijk’s unstable performance.
“When Liverpool play well, you don’t have much to do as a defender. They always win the ball right up front.
The problem is that when their defense is exploited, it is difficult for the team to function well. Van Dijk is being exploited in one-on-one situations. If they’re playing well then you don’t notice it. But right now Van Dijk is messing things up.”
