The defender was the most successful when when it came to duels won and aerial duels won this weekend.
Since joining from Celtic for a relatively big fee in the summer, Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk has largely justified his fee so far with a number of impressive displays.
The Dutchman has seamlessly integrated into the heart of the Saints defence this season, and has been a big part of them enjoying another strong start to the season.
They continued that form with a 1-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday afternoon, a win that continued their so far unbeaten record on the road this season.
And Van Dijk had another impressive display, as he came out on top of any other defender in two key defensive areas this past weekend.
| Position | Team | Match | Duel Won | Aerial Won | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virgil van Dijk | DF | Southampton | Sunderland vs Southampton | 17 | 14 | 1 | 90 |
| Nathaniel Clyne | DF | Liverpool | Liverpool vs C. Palace | 12 | 1 | 1 | 90 |
| Bacary Sagna | DF | Man City | Aston Villa vs Man City | 12 | 8 | 1 | 90 |
First and foremost he won the most defensive duels of any player over the weekend, with a high of 17, five more than Nathaniel Clyne and Bacary Sagna.
He also came out on top when it came to aerial duels, as he registered 14 in the game against the Black Cats, six more than his Saints teammate Jose Fonte and Manchester City’s Sagna.
Indeed, it was a highly impressive performance from Van Dijk in general as he also came out in the top two for effective clearances and effective headed clearances as well.
Saints fans will be hoping he can put in performances like that one on a consistent basis as they aim for European football once again this season.
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