Neil Ruddock claims Liverpool stalwart isnโt โwhat he wasโ ever since one fateful moment
Neil Ruddock has said that Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk isnโt โwhat he wasโ prior to the fateful long-term injury which sidelined him for almost the entire 2020/21 season.
The Dutchman was regarded as arguably the worldโs best player in his position at the start of the decade, finishing second in the 2019 Ballon DโOr, but he was sidelined for nine months after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury inflicted upon him by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in October 2020.
The newly-appointed Reds captain has faced some criticism over his defending since that comeback two years ago, and one of his centre-back predecessors at Anfield has claimed the current number 4 hasnโt been able to hit his previous heights ever since his lengthy layoff.
Speaking onย talkSPORT (1 August, 8:15am), Ruddock said of Van Dijk:ย โI donโt think heโs been himself after he did his knee against Everton when he did his ACL.ย I donโt think you can be, can you be the best player or up to the same standards because he was relying on pace?
โPeople would run at him and heโd just show them into positions and heโd just get the ball and heโd block shots.ย Heโs a great player, one of the best in the world but I donโt think heโs what he was, I think heโs lost half a yard or a yard.โ
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When a player suffers such a serious injury just as theyโre coming into their 30s, as happened to Van Dijk, itโs natural that theyโd find it difficult to get back to the same heights theyโd hit beforehand.
Maybe the Dutchman isnโt quite the imperious behemoth who previously went 65 matches without being dribbled past once (Squawka), but heโs still a formidable centre-back whoโd be the envy of virtually every club in the world.
His pace hasnโt exactly dropped off a cliff, either, with that particular quality being hailed in 2022 by none other than Erling Haaland (ESPN, via The Mirror).
Nor was Van Dijkโs game prior to his ACL injury massively reliant on speed โ in 2019, Lionel Messi proclaimed the Liverpool star as โa defender who knows how to judge his timing and wait for the right moment to challengeโ (Marca).
The 32-year-oldโs game intelligence often enabled him to take up a position where he wouldnโt have to rush back and make a last-ditch tackle.
Even if he never quite rediscovers the levels he exhibited four years ago, the Redsโ new captain is still a superb defender who weโre very fortunate to have at Anfield.
#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones
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