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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk last night.
The Spaniard pointed to the defender’s passing ability as the key for the Reds to nullify Arsenal’s attempts to pressure from the front.
“We tried to put them under as much pressure as we could, but Van Dijk plays 60 yards to Salah and they are out,” Arteta said after the game.
“This is real quality and that’s why they have spent the money they have.”
Having a defender who can effortlessly dismantle an opposing team’s tactics has been one of the key reasons behind Liverpool’s success with Jurgen Klopp.
Against Arsenal, Van Dijk used his main attacking weapon to perfection, feeding the progressive Reds masters with some outstanding long-range passes.
Thanks to @CF_Comps, you can see the Dutchman take the concept of the ‘deep playmaker’ to new extremes below.
Any great midfielder, past or present, would be proud of that collection of passes!
Van Dijk is the definition of a Rolls-Royce defender, a player who will be considered one of the greatest to have played the game.
Liverpool’s decision to hand over £ 75 million to Southampton to secure Van Dijk’s services was viewed with skepticism at the time, but that fee now seems like a bargain, from a footballing perspective anyway.
During the Reds’ title-winning 2019/20 campaign, the 29-year-old’s serene ability with the ball at his feet was evident to all.
According to WhoScored, Van Dijk averaged 85.8 passes per game, the most of any player in the Premier League.
The Dutchman is not just the immovable object that terrorizes every attacker on the planet, he is the man who sets the tone and unites Klopp’s conquering team.
His uncanny ability to split teams with a pass is also the main reason why Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson have the freedom of their respective flanks.
Without Van Dijk, Klopp’s system at Liverpool would crumble and a serious injury to the Dutchman would seriously derail the club’s 2020/21 season.
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