Gary Neville compares one current Liverpool star to watching Xabi Alonso. That’s despite playing two different positions.
Gary Neville believes you didn’t used to see passing like Virgil van Dijk’s at Anfield. Not unless you were watching Xabi Alonso 15 years ago, anyway. That’s the level of development at the back when it comes to passing the ball.
“The technical improvement is incredible,” he told Sky Sports. “You come to Anfield 10 or 15 years ago and want to see a pass like that, you’re watching [Xabi] Alonso.”
How Virgil van Dijk compares to Xabi Alonso
Now, Alonso was certainly levels above Van Dijk when it came to his overall passing range. Few would argue against that. But Neville is talking about those sweeping switches of play that exploit space on the flanks.
Alonso is possibly the best we’ve ever seen at Liverpool for that, while Steven Gerrard would produce some ridiculous efforts. Neville’s absolutely right about it being world-class midfielders who used to do it, though.
But the way Liverpool and most other top teams play, centre-backs are the ones with the ball in space in deep positions. They’re the ones who need to produce these passes as holding midfielders are usually pushed a little higher.
That was never the case in Alonso’s time. Liverpool sat deeper as a team, giving the Spaniard all the time he needed in the centre-circle. It’s one of the biggest changes in football over the last decade.
But it’s also what makes Van Dijk so special. The fact that he can do all of the solid defensive work and have a passing range like this is extraordinary. You look at someone like Lisandro Martinez, who has just joined Manchester United, and you see a modern ball-playing centre-back. Using him means giving up many traditional centre-back traits, however.
In Van Dijk, Liverpool have someone very special. He’s not quite Alonso but the Dutchman may be the modern-day equivalent.
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