Simon Francis told the Football Show on Sky Sports (13/10/20 at 11:05 am) that Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk looks ‘off the pace’.
The former Bournemouth defender made it clear that he is Van Dijk’s ‘biggest fan’ and he is still the ‘number one’ defender in the world.
Van Dijk, who has played every Premier League game this season, produced perhaps the worst display of his career when Liverpool conceded a staggering seven at Aston Villa.
Former Premier League centre-back Francis warned about the champions that if they produce a similar performance against Everton then it could spark problems.
“It’s certainly hard for me to sit here and be critical of Liverpool given what they have done for the last couple of years,” Francis told Sky Sports. “But it was a nightmare evening [against Villa].
“Everything they tried and are as a football team was exploited by Aston Villa on the night – they just got found out on the night and everything Villa did was coming off for them.
“I think if this game isn’t played behind closed doors then this result doesn’t happen. That has played a big part in it.
“Even Van Dijk, I am his biggest fan being a defender, he’s number one in the world for me, at the moment. He just looks a little off the pace. Everton going into that Merseyside derby will be confident that they can also exploit these defensive weaknesses.”
It was a night to forget for Liverpool during their last Premier League encounter and it will be interesting to see how they react.
Could this spark more unusual results? Could the likes of Liverpool find that the challenge will come from the likes of Leeds, Villa and Everton?
If the above happens then it will only help English football as a whole because it needs a shake-up.
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