On Sunday evening against Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk injured his right ankle after going in on a tackle to stop Moussa Sissoko.
According to The Telegraph, Liverpool player Virgil van Dijk was quoted saying this about Friday’s game away from home at Southampton,
"“It hurts. We have to take a look at it, but I will be fine for Friday”"
Did anyone really think van Dijk would miss a game against his former club at the St. Mary’s Stadium, in the title race of the century? He could be on crutches, and the big Dutchman would still want to be out on the pitch.
Liverpool need him on the pitch as well, as he has been a catalyst for the defense all season. His organizational skills combined with his calmness, and pure instinct has changed the perception of Liverpool’s defense over the past year. I am sure that everyone remembers this silly meme on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TheGoatMagazine/status/900491756462100481
Now Jurgen Klopp’s men have one of the best defensive records in all of Europe, holding 17 cleans sheets from 32 games in the Premier League, and two more clean sheets in the Champions League against Bayern Munich and Napoli.
It is all big thanks to the former Southampton defender, who has just bossed the middle of the Liverpool defense. We all witnessed his ability against Spurs in the play where he was injured. Sissoko on the left and Heung-Min Son on the right, van Dijk slowly contained them backwards until he had to choose one or the other. He prevented the pass to Son and made Sissoko shoot with his unfavorable left foot, and he ended up towering the ball into the away end.
It really was a piece of sublime defending, and it is just another highlight to prove that he is easily one of the top three, if not the best defender in the world at the moment. Hopefully his injury is not all that serious and the combination of himself and Joel Matip can shut down the Saint’s attack.
It also is not that long until Joe Gomez is back for the Reds, and if there is one thing Virgil van Dijk loves more than clean sheets, it is his pairing with the young center half.