Virgil van Dijk might not have statistically been Liverpool’s Man of the Match against Bologna, but his effortless display is worthy of recognition.
Liverpool’s captain turned 33 during the summer and is in the final year of his contract at Anfield, and yet he continues to roll back the clock with timeless performances.
There were fears when Van Dijk tore his ACL in late 2020 that he would not return the same player he once was – safe to say, there was never anything to worry about!
Against Bologna on Wednesday evening, Mohamed Salah laid claim to FotMob‘s Man of the Match with a performance rating of 8.5-out-of-10, with fellow goalscorer Alexis Mac Allister not far behind.
The Dutchman, meanwhile, finished his night with a statistical rating of 7.2, the best of the back four and Liverpool’s sixth-highest score of the night.
Van Dijk played with effortless ease, as he has continually achieved throughout his career, and it was not lost on FotMob‘s stats sheet:
- 74 touches – most of any Liverpool player, 88% accuracy
- 9 defensive actions – most of any Red
- Game-high 5 clearances
- 1 chance created, 3 passes into the final third
- Won 2/3 aerial duels – joint-second most
The captain was progressive with his passes; one of his biggest strengths is understanding the running lanes for his midfielders and setting them up accordingly, as he did with Ryan Gravenberch.
He blocked two shots, was never dispossessed by the Italian side and that air of authority was on full show from start to finish – whether it be with his actions or words.
Virgil van Dijk by the way.
Ludicrously good.
— Michael Reid (@michael_reid11) October 2, 2024
Van Dijk is quietly having an all timer season but it’s the norm for him so it’s not spoken about enough
— ? (@TheImmortalKop) October 2, 2024
Van Dijk was not called into desperate interventions, but he was consistently where he needed to be throughout – as he has been all season so far – and from anyone watching on, he was a level above the rest.
A yellow card was his only blemish, and that was simply for being bigger and stronger than his opponent!
The 33-year-old is quietly performing at a world-class level, not that it is news to Liverpool supporters, but perhaps he will again receive the recognition he deserves from outside Anfield’s four walls.
With the third-most minutes for the Reds to date (720) and effortless classy displays like this one, he is proving age should not be a determining factor in contract talks.
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