Mark Lawrenson has claimed that Virgil van Dijk looked ‘all over the place’ during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at Manchester City, which he thinks is ‘unheard of’, as he told Off the Ball.
The Anfield legend praised both Liverpool and Manchester City for the ‘absolutely outstanding’ quality they bring to the table in the Premier League.
That is also replicated in the Champions League, with Liverpool hoping to book their place in the semi-finals on Wednesday night.
The Reds hold a two-goal lead over Benfica, and if they see that through, then it’s Villarreal, not Bayern Munich, that are awaiting them in the last four.
Liverpool supporters probably can’t even believe their luck because they are now one of the big favourites to reach the final, and probably win the whole thing.
Nonetheless, this is what Lawrenson had to say about Van Dijk coming up against Manchester City over the weekend.
“Even Virgil van Dijk, in the first half, looked all over the place, which is almost unheard of,” said Lawrenson.
“The quality of both teams is just absolutely outstanding. There is no doubt they have dragged other Premier League teams to be much, much better. And they never got any praise for that.”
Liverpool were fortunate only to be a goal down in the first half of their title tussle at the Etihad.
But they turned it up in the second period, including the ice-cool Van Dijk showcasing to the world why he is the best around.
Given Liverpool’s high and aggressive line, they were left exposed and, at times, outnumbered at the back.
But that wasn’t a worry for Van Dijk, who casually defended near-on every Man City attack like he had a brick wall strapped to his back.
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