‘Wasn’t at his absolute best’: Pundit says Liverpool player was ‘coasting’ last season

Follow us on Google Discover

Former Premier League midfielder Andy Townsend feels that Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk was not at the top of his game last season.

It was a disappointing campaign for Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool as a whole, with the Reds finishing fifth in the table and missing out on Champions League football as a result.

Speaking on talkSPORT about the Reds and the Dutch centre-half, Townsend said: “There were times last year when he wasn’t at his absolute best.”

The pundit also went on to add: “He looked like he was coasting at times a little bit. I think everybody had just come off the gas a little bit at Liverpool.”

Jurgen Klopp will now be expecting Van Dijk to return to his best again and lead by example, especially after making him club captain following Jordan Henderson’s move to Saudi Arabia.

Virgil van Dijk is still one of the top centre-backs in world football

One bad season does not mean much. You will still find it hard to name a better central defender than Van Dijk.

Aerially, he can be an absolute monster at times. During the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, the 32-year-old won 3.1 aerial duels per game, which was the highest average in his squad (WhoScored).

This time around, things could go much better for Van Dijk and Liverpool. The Merseyside club have refreshed their midfield by bringing in Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion and Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig.

Having just sold Henderson and Fabinho, though, there is probably a bit more work for them to do in that area of the pitch.

With Liverpool going through a bit of a rebuild right now, it may be difficult for them to challenge Manchester City and Arsenal, who have quite settled squads, for the title. But if Van Dijk can rediscover his form again and Mohamed Salah continues to score the goals, a return to the top four is certainly possible.