“He’s our centre half, he’s our number four;
We watch him defend, we watch him score;
He’ll pass the ball, calm as you like;
He’s Virgil Van Dijk”
These are the lyrics that echo around every nook and corner of Anfield and the city of Liverpool. Such has been the impact; the talismanic Dutch centre-half has had on the Reds. With his ratings rising steadfast, Van Dijk is being compared to few of the finest defenders to have graced the Premier League: the likes of; John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
But are these comparisons justified? Is Virgil Van Dijk really that good?
With their coffers full from the Coutinho sale, Liverpool lavishly spent on a centre-back, acquiring the Dutch defender for a fee of £75 million. A record, that was broken eventually by Mr. ‘Slabhead’ Maguire. A price-tag such as that surely comes with a baggage of expectations. Taking recent examples in the world of football, big money signings have struggled under that pressure. Be it Neymar at PSG, Coutinho and Dembele at Barcelona or more recently Nicolas Pepe at Arsenal, all big money signings have been plagued by issues ranging from injuries to lack of morale and confidence.
But Liverpool on the other hand, have gotten themselves a player worth every last penny. Van Dijk over the past two seasons has been stellar. He has been composed under pressure and has earned the right to don the captain’s armband. His rise at the club level, has been paralleled with the national team as well. At hindsight, we can say that him and Alisson were the final clogs in the machinery that Jurgen Klopp had been building over the past couple of seasons. Van Dijk has been a pivotal piece of the juggernaut that has steamrolled the Premier League this season. His focused, laser-sharp defending coupled with his aerial abilities has been a menace for almost every team Liverpool has faced. Add to this, his long-range passing ability. Virgil Van Dijk is a complete package, without even the slightest of doubt.
The fans have showered him with admiration and appreciation, and rightly so. But at the same time, there is a faction overpraising VVD, and in process undermining the contribution of the other players. What Liverpool are today – a well oiled machinery – is a result of top notch performances from not only Van Dijk but also TAA, Henderson, Alisson and their electrifying front three. But such overpraising, from football communities the world over, has started a chain of discussion claiming that Virgil Van Dijk belongs to the top rung of defenders who have played in the Premier League in the recent times i.e. Terry, Vidic and Ferdinand.
Such claims might be a bit unwarranted.
Virgil Van Dijk may be head and shoulders above all current defenders in the league, but he is yet to match the names mentioned above, which also includes players like Sol Campbell, Jap Stam and Vincent Kompany. Some of these names have been the personification of dominance over the past years.
The Duo, Vidic and Ferdinand, were a part of the Manchester United team that had absolutely annihilated the Premier League for an entire decade, winning 3 back to back Premier League titles, twice! Ferdinand in particular, was exceptional with his feet, building play from the back – a trait that is extremely desirable from a centre back in the modern game. Going a bit further in United’s past, Jap Stam was another stellar figure in the heart of the team’s defence and a member of the famous treble winning side of 1998/99.
But inarguably, the leader of the lot has to be John Terry. Despite having a notorious image off the field, JT never let that weigh him down on the field. He was a part of the Mourinho side that redefined the Premier League; winning successive titles with a game-changing 4-3-3 formation. A formation which has now become a standard approach for almost every manager. JT continued his dominance post Mourinho’s tenure, winning a domestic double under Ancelotti and the much-coveted Champions League trophy in 2012. All these milestones while leading the pack from the front. By the time Terry retired from the game, he was the league’s highest scoring defender as well as had the most clean-sheets. In 2011, he was third on the list of passing accuracy with 91.6% accuracy, behind only Xavi. Dominant aerially and rock-solid on ground, it is only fair to say that Terry was who God produced, when the word ‘defender’ was mentioned to him.
Premier League, time and again, has been graced by such defensive spearheads.
Another example is former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, whose name is synonymous with perseverance. Signed by the club in 2008, Kompany was a part of City’s meteoric rise to the top of English football; as they stepped out of the shadow of their mighty Manchester rivals and went on to claim four titles in a span of seven seasons. He is the true embodiment of the phrase: ‘Captain. Leader. Legend.’ Perhaps, the only feather missing from his cap is the Champions League trophy, which has eluded City for long now, but Kompany was a gritty player nonetheless.
Another facet that sets these legends apart from others, is pedigree! The sheer number of trophies won by these players. Since ultimately, what fans want to see the most is their team win and stack up silver-ware. And though, Liverpool have been on the ascendancy for the past couple of seasons, one Champions League and one Premier League (despite it being the much sought after first title) are not enough to get you in the elite company.
These stalwarts simply show that what Van Dijk is currently doing, has been achieved by many prior to him and that too for a prolonged period of time.
Now, all of this does not to imply that Virgil Van Dijk is any less of a defender, or that he lacks the ability to be the best. In fact, VVD shows many traits, resembling to all these players during similar stages of their careers. But pitting Van Dijk, as phenomenal as he may be, against the likes of Terry and Ferdinand, just yet, is frivolous and childish.
To put it metaphorically, Van Dijk is in the middle of a marathon, one that his predecessors have already completed. It would be unfair to say that he cannot complete it, and at the same time rash to say that he’ll better the timing of the others before him. One can only know his greatness and legacy, for sure, when he will complete the marathon.
Until then, we fans can merely enjoy the stoic beauty that Van Dijk is while on the field.
Sports Lane 