Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have lost three of their last four games – but is Rafael Van der Vaart backing them to still win the Premier League?
Rafael Van der Vaart believes fellow Dutchman Virgil van Dijk will have no concerns about missing out on the Ballon D’or, speaking to Stadium Astro, while backing the Liverpool star to lift the Premier League trophy at the end of the season.
Arguably the greatest defender to play the game over the last ten years has come in for some rare criticism in recent weeks.
Liverpool have lost three of their last four games in all competitions and, just three days after Van Dijk endured an unfamiliar off day during a 3-0 bashing at Watford, the £75 million man was left battered and bruised by the revitalised Olivier Giroud at Stamford Bridge during an FA Cup defeat to Chelsea.
This is a far cry from the stunning form that had some tipping Van Dijk to be the first centre-half since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006 to lift the Ballon D’Or, only for him to be pipped to the post by a certain Lionel Messi.
Van der Vaart, however, believes Van Dijk ‘won’t care’ about a high-profile snub with the Premier League title in Liverpool’s sights.
“For him, it’s more important that Liverpool won the Champions League, and this year Liverpool are going to win the Premier League,” Van der Vaart predicted. “All those personal prizes are fake, they (the players) don’t care.
“It would be crazy if they don’t win (the league). Even if they stop playing now they will still win it!”
With an out-of-sorts Bournemouth side due to travel to Anfield on Saturday, it would be a major shock if Liverpool did not get back to winning ways sooner rather than later.
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