Dispelling the Virgil van Dijk myth

Many rival fans believe that Virgil van Dijk only became world-class when he moved to Liverpool but the truth is much different.

The Dutchman has been widely praised for the impact he has made at Liverpool since signing for the Reds in January 2018 for what was a world record fee paid for a defender at the time.

Before he left St. Mary’s, the Saints finished in 6th during the 2015/16 season and in 16/17 they finished in 8th place – two brilliant seasons for the South Coast club.

Since then, they have finished 17th, 16th and are now currently 18th a week after being pummeled 9-0 by Leicester City; evidence that their defence is in tatters without van Dijk.

Southampton with Van Dijk:
15/16: 6th
16/17: 8th

Southampton after Van Dijk left:
17/18: 17th (11th when he left)
18/19: 16th
19/20: 18th*

That drop off without Van Dijk is massive. Just shows how important he really is in defence. One of a kind.

— Sam (@SamueILFC) October 25, 2019

While there is a lot more to Southampton’s demise than just the departure of van Dijk, it’s safe to say that their overachieving between 2015 and 2017 had a lot to do with his unbelievable defending.

The myth that he only became world-class at Liverpool is inaccurate as he was one of the best defenders in the Premier League for a couple of seasons before he joined the Reds.

There’s a reason there was such a tug of war between Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea to secure his signature.

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Source: anfieldhq.com