Virgil van Dijk, the captain of Liverpool, has been receiving appreciation for his comeback to form this year.
Van Dijk had a tremendously tough year last year because it was possibly the first time in his Liverpool career that he had to cope with loud critiques. Many questioned if the 32-year-old still had what it took going into this campaign.
But after three months of the new season, all of those uncertainties have vanished.Van Dijk has excelled.
Today, commentator Ian Wright provides additional evidence supporting that claim. After this weekend’s Premier League games, Wright felt it was appropriate to honour Virgil’s name on The Kelly & Wrighty Show.
The analyst declared, “I think Van Dijk is back to the Van Dijk that we know and love; he’s a great player.” Too true.
Van Dijk returns to form
The phrase “back to his best” is always used to describe a player who recovers after a difficult period of play.
That same phrase has been used quite a bit this season to describe Liverpool’s captain, but we’re not convinced it’s quite accurate.
Van Dijk has undoubtedly been among the Reds’ greatest players thus far in 2023–24, but it’s unlikely that he will ever reach his “best” level again.
However, that doesn’t mean he’s past his prime or incapable. Simply put, Van Dijk’s prime may have been the best defender we’ve ever seen. It would be absolutely incredible to achieve the heights of winning both a FIFA Best Player award and a Ballon d’Or runner-up once more. That is not going to occur.
Nevertheless, Liverpool will be there or thereabouts if the Dutchman can return to that level, and the early indications are extremely promising. Once more, Virgil appears to be a guy who opponents just do not want to face.
The captaincy seems to have really boosted our No. 4; he is more aggressive than we’ve seen him in the past and exhibits a steely drive.
Those who dismissed him before as “finished” have become quite quiet.
Naturally, the season has a long way to go, so we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. Van Dijk, though, is still the world’s best defender when he plays this way. Like it was ever in question
