Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has claimed that their £240k-a-week star is struggling at the moment but reveals it should only be temporary.
The Reds battled out a very entertaining goalless draw with their Merseyside rivals Everton at the weekend, but they still could have lost the game.
Form is proving hard to come by and the pressure is being felt by their top stars too. Virgil Van Dijk is usually their safe haven but he’s had more moments discussed in six games than perhaps most of last season combined in the league.
The TalkSport panel were discussing his late tackle at the weekend against Everton and Danny Murphy spoke about his form as a whole.
😬 “In slow-motion, it looked a far worse tackle than in real speed.”
🤕 “He almost brushes down his shin & his studs plant on the foot…”
🟨 “That’s why it was a yellow card instead of a red card.”
Dermot Gallagher explains why Van Dijk’s tackle on Onana was not a red card pic.twitter.com/A2RXdqCyMb
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) September 5, 2022
Danny Murphy on Van Dijk
Murphy, speaking on TalkSport, addressed Liverpool’s poor form and spoke about their towering centre half Van Dijk. He claimed the defender has dropped his levels and that he could still be struggling psychologically from his horrific injury in the 2020/21 season.
“He’s not up to his level. Before his injury he was arguably looking like one of the best centre-halves we’ve ever seen,” ex-Anfield ace Murphy said on talkSPORT.
“The injury, which is a huge one and he’s come back from, although he’s not had problems in missing games I think psychologically he’s not in the same place. What I mean by that is not wanting to be as physically engaged with players and tackles, although he had the studs one at the weekend. He’s playing within himself a little bit and protecting himself a little bit without knowing it.”
He was referring to the yellow card he received for a late tackle on Everton’s Amadou Onana in the derby, which many believed should have been a red card. Perhaps a decision he was lucky to get away with.
🗣️ "That's a leg breaker!"
The Ref Watch panel discuss if Virgil Van Dijk should have received a red, yellow or even an orange card 🟧 pic.twitter.com/0YiFHWwU8S
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 5, 2022
“We are again talking about someone who has set ridiculously high standards and even when he’s dropping below them at the moment he’s still brilliant compared to a lot of other centre-halves. But it just seems like he’s within himself and I don’t know if he even knows why himself, sometimes you can just fall into a trap.
“It’s another case of the cream rising to the top, he’ll be back.”
