An assessment of Virgil van Dijk’s first league start for Liverpool

I think it’s fair to say that Liverpool’s game versus Swansea on Monday night did not go to plan. The midfield looked listless, Sadio Mané looked mediocre, and generally the attack just did not seem to click.

Where Liverpool showed the world how to beat Man City last Sunday, Swansea showed everyone how to beat Liverpool only 8 days later.

Fans of other clubs might laugh that on the Premier League debut of the club’s most expensive signing, and also the world’s most expensive defender that Liverpool still lost, and maybe justifiably so, but Virgil Van Dijk gave definite reason to feel optimistic.

READ MORE: The weaknesses still present at Liverpool that were exposed against Swansea City

SWANSEA, WALES – Monday, January 22, 2018: Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk during the FA Premier League match between Swansea City FC and Liverpool FC at the Liberty Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Van Dijk looks like a man in control of all things when on the ball, and watching him step out into midfield showed that he can be the extra man to aid the attack when necessary. It’s a given that it didn’t work to get the goal Liverpool needed vs Swansea, but there was poise and promise in the moments where the Dutchman did move up the pitch on occasions.

The final minute cross which really should have been finished by Firmino was a prime example. Centre backs shouldn’t be able to cross like that, but ours can.

I know what you’re thinking. Who cares if he is a great crosser or ball player if he can’t defend against the team bottom of the league? Well, actually, Van Dijk defended superbly for the most part.

The long-term answer? pic.twitter.com/4Jgy0oATTe

— Anfield HQ (@AnfieldHQ) January 25, 2018

The only real defensive error that Liverpool made throughout the match was admittedly punished by Swansea, but while Jamie Carragher was critical of Van Dijk for attempting to get across to the ball, I can’t agree.

Van Dijk won the header, and is an easy target simply because of the price tag and the spotlight that commands. He cannot be blamed for attacking a header that no other Liverpool player had climbed high enough to get to, and definitely cannot be blamed for 3 players then attempting to break while the ball was still bouncing around in the box.

SWANSEA, WALES – Monday, January 22, 2018: Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk looks dejected during the FA Premier League match between Swansea City FC and Liverpool FC at the Liberty Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Van Dijk made 8 clearances in the game, 4 times more than any other Liverpool player, won 10 aerial duels, 9 more than central defensive partner Joel Matip (the whole team only made 18 altogether), and had a 95% pass success rate over the 90 minutes, the highest of any player in the match.

Also notable, was that Joel Matip seemed considerably more assured on the ball with Van Dijk behind him, taking more opportunities to step forward and join the midfield, possibly feeling more protected than when he plays with Dejan Lovren.

The central partnership appeared to be more effective in trusting one another, and though it was against an admittedly limited Swansea attack, maybe this can be a positive sign of things to come.

The spotlight will be on Virgil, and maybe understandably considering his cost and the drawn out procedure that the transfer underwent, but one thing I can agree with Carragher on from last night, is that he cannot do it all.

READ MORE: Why we shouldn’t overstate Liverpool’s struggles against the bus-parkers

SWANSEA, WALES – Monday, January 22, 2018: Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk sees his header go wide during the FA Premier League match between Swansea City FC and Liverpool FC at the Liberty Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)c

While every media outlet in the land has made the joke at some point, he’s not actually a thunderbird. Statistics described earlier certainly show that he maybe is attempting to be the centre of attention, but is that not what you pay £75 million pounds for, a player who constantly draws the eye?

I, for one, was definitely drawn towards watching Van Dijk throughout the game and believe that he was undoubtedly Liverpool’s best player. That may simply show him to be the best of a bad bunch considering the lackluster nature of Liverpool’s performance, but still, he stood head and shoulders above the rest.

It goes without saying that Liverpool won’t be pleased with dropping 3 points, particularly against the premier league’s bottom club; but, every cloud has a silver lining, and Liverpool’s, at least on Monday, was Van Dijk.

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Source: anfieldhq.com