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When it was first learned that Virgil van Dijk would be out for the vast majority (if not the entirety) of the season, it was generally seen as a gigantic, seismic blow to Liverpool’s prospects of retaining the Premier League title and riding a serious challenge in Europe.
This is understandable given the Dutchman’s pivotal role in Liverpool’s success since arriving from Southampton nearly three years ago. Van Dijk’s arrival in January 2018 was just one of countless intertwined factors that have contributed to Liverpool’s transition from top four hopefuls to true world leaders, but it has unequivocally shown that he is among the most important moments in the world. The club’s modern history to the point where Jürgen Klopp’s tenure could be clearly divided into two distinct eras: before Van Dijk and after Van Dijk.
Before the Merseyside derby last month, he barely missed a minute of football through injury, starting all 38 league games in both 2018/19 and 2019/20, during which time he just failed to complete the full 90 minutes in one. . occasion (coming off with a blow during the 3-0 win against Southampton at Anfield in September 2018). Therefore, their presence became so intertwined with the identity of this team that it became almost impossible to imagine what Liverpool would be like without Van Dijk.
How the hell can they cope? As a result, will Liverpool’s season be completely derailed? Will they suddenly start conceding a lot of set pieces? What will be the psychological impact of losing the best center-back on the planet?
All kinds of questions were being asked, almost as if Van Dijk getting injured was like pulling out the wrong Jenga block and as a result the entire tower instantly collapsed. Not only was that line of thinking hyperbolic in the extreme, it was also somewhat insulting to the rest of the Liverpool team, hinting that the absence of an individual (as phenomenal as him) would weaken them so severely that they would not. be able to find a way to keep winning soccer games.
Of courseLiverpool would be significantly weakened by Van Dijk, as would any team losing a player of their quality. They would certainly be less dominant from an aerial point of view, they would miss their leadership and organizational qualities, their preparation game would suffer without their precise long-range distribution, and they would pose a reduced threat from set pieces. All of these things were inevitable consequences that Liverpool would have to face, but what is brilliant about this group of players (and Klopp) is their ability to find solutions to the problems they face, however overwhelming those problems may seem.
In the six games since the Merseyside derby, Liverpool have conceded just three goals (just two in open play) and kept three consecutive clean sheets in the Champions League (including road trips to two free attacking teams at Ajax and Atalanta). Against West Ham, Sheffield United and Manchester City, Liverpool only conceded a total of seven shots on goal.
In that time, they have had to cope not only without Van Dijk, but also without Fabinho for the last three games since he injured his hamstring in the first half against Midtjylland, and Joel Matip until his return in draw 1- 1 Sunday at the Etihad. Meanwhile, Thiago Alcântara has been sidelined since Richarlison’s horrific derby challenge, Naby Keita has been absent with a nondescript fitness issue and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been unavailable, further limiting Klopp’s resources.
Suddenly, Joe Gomez, still only 23 years old, easy to forget, found himself the only fit and available senior center-back, with the responsibility of rounding up the four behind. In the second half against Midtjylland and from the start against Atalanta, Liverpool lined up a 19-year-old Rhys Williams whose only previous competitive senior football experience came in the National League North with Kidderminster Harriers last season. Against West Ham, it was Nat Phillips’ turn to replace, making a Premier League debut that just a few weeks ago seemed extremely unlikely.
Individually, they all deserve great recognition, but the biggest lesson in recent weeks has been how much Liverpool’s success is based on the effectiveness of the system as a whole from back to front, as well as the staff that play in it. Because everything is interconnected and interdependent.
There have been some notable tactical adjustments to compensate for the vacuum in the form of Van Dijk that have generally proven effective. Rather than having a single No. 6 and two No. 8s in midfield, we’ve seen a bit more of Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum operating side by side as more of a double axis in front of the four in the back (either being in a variation of the standard 4-3-3, a 4-4-2 or 4-2-4).
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have been excellent defensively, perhaps not bombarding forward as far and as often as they normally would to ensure Liverpool are a little tighter at the rear. Overall, Liverpool have pulled back the defensive line a bit, which, while creating some problems with the set-up game, has helped to successfully integrate Williams and Phillips. Klopp knows very well that Liverpool cannot afford to play in exactly the same way without Van Dijk, so he has adjusted things accordingly.
It’s still the early days, and there will certainly be times throughout the remainder of the season when Van Dijk’s absence proves particularly costly, but so far, they’ve played each other perfectly as a collective. Even in the second half at the Etihad, when City enjoyed a lot of possession deep in the Liverpool half, they couldn’t really forge many quality opportunities, such was Liverpool’s structure and focus to keep them at arm’s length.
Six games is a large enough sample to show that the way Liverpool defends As a team it’s mostly excellent, and that even without its 6ft 4in Dutch cornerstone (whose qualities can’t be perfectly replaced), the foundation is still very much intact.
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