Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk recently spent time with Rio Ferdinand and the former Manchester United defender says he had some interesting things to say about the current standards Premier League defenders have to reach in training.
Van Dijk is widely considered to be the best defender in the world which is quite remarkable.
When you consider that he bounced back from a horrid ACL tear in October 2020 only to return to the unprecedented heights he reached before the injury, it’s difficult not to be amazed.
He was in imperious form against Manchester United on Sunday as he and Ibrahima Konate provided the perfect springboard for counter-attacks in Arne Slot’s exhilarating tactical system.
Rio Ferdinand shares interesting insight into lofty standards of modern football
Hate him or love him, Ferdinand is still one of the very best centre-backs the Premier League has ever seen.
Vidic, on the other hand, is fair game…
Fernando Torres had Vidic on toast on several occasions. Credit: Imago Images
Ferdinand is one of the best defenders in the media to talk on the differences between the Premier League in the 2000s vs. the late 2010s and early 2020s.
Speaking on his podcast on YouTube, Rio Ferdinand Presents, the former United veteran shared what he has recently heard from van Dijk.
“I was filming with Virgil the other day and I was saying to him ‘do you guys train on the fundamentals of defending as much as we used to,’” he said.
“We used to do one-v-ones and 20 crosses after a training session to defend and stuff like that. It looks like now it’s more about getting the ball.
“There’s so many differences for defenders now, we were about make sure your basics are honed and make sure you’re honing them all the time. He said it’s different.”
