Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson spoke to the Mirror about the consequences of Virgil van Dijk’s injury.
The Dutchman was on the wrong end of a poor tackle from Everton’s Jordon Pickford in the Merseyside derby on Saturday. Liverpool have confirmed that their star defender will undergo knee surgery in the coming days and, if rumours are to be believed, he is not expected back until near the end of the season.
That is a huge blow for Liverpool. Van Dijk is arguably the Reds’ most important player and, without him, they wouldn’t have had the kind of success they’ve had over the last two seasons.
Jurgen Klopp’s hopes of retaining the Premier League title have now taken a huge hit. But he has other players to help his side cross the line. Joel Matip and Joe Gomez are natural centre-halves, while there have been calls to play Fabinho in Van Dijk’s position.
Johnson feels that Van Dijk’s absence will force other players to change their game too – namely, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson.
The two Liverpool full-backs have been one of the biggest reasons why the Reds are as dangerous as they are in attack. The duo have registered 51 assists in the league between them since the start of the 2018/19 season; a truly stunning record.
Johnson feels that the duo will have to focus a lot more on their defensive duties now Van Dijk will not be available to cover for them at the back.
He said: “He’s (Van Dijk) the number one player Liverpool certainly didn’t want to lose. He’s one of those players that everyone performs better when he’s out there, there’s no two ways about it, he’ll be missed.
“There’s nothing better as an attacking full-back to think ‘oh actually, I don’t need to run back because I know that Van Dijk is there, or John Terry is there. You just know they’re going to win the ball. If you look over your shoulder and it’s somebody else then you don’t get that confidence, and then you have to be in totally different positions.
“We’ve seen it over the years with Trent. Sometimes defensively he’s got into some terrible positions, but it doesn’t matter because Van Dijk will be mopping up behind and making it all look very easy. Both full-backs will have to change.”
Liverpool’s defence has truly been remarkable over the last two years, and Van Dijk is one of the biggest reasons why. The Reds conceded just 55 goals in the Premier League in the last two seasons, but their record has not been as good this term.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have conceded 13 goals in five league games this season; the joint-worst record in the top flight. Van Dijk’s absence could make things worse but, if their full-backs help out their centre-halves more than usual, they should have enough cover at the back.
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