Rio Ferdinand is adamant that Virgil van Dijk has it easier than he used to. That ‘definitely’ plays a part in the Dutchman’s success.
Virgil van Dijk is unquestionably the best centre-back in the world, according to Rio Ferdinand. However, the former Manchester United man also believes that Van Dijk has it easier than he ever did.
Partly, that’s because the Dutchman only comes up against one striker in a game, rather than two.
“I think that plays a part, definitely,” he told his Youtube channel, Five. “He’s playing against one striker a lot of time – teams play one up front, two wide – I think you get a lot more breathers in the game nowadays.
“When we were playing, it was me one-v-one against that striker, my partner one-v-one against that striker. All game. No respite. So you were getting tested more in that sense.
“And there’s different tests – with the ball, there’s more responsibility on defenders now to take the ball and start things. We didn’t have that. And listen man, the depth of quality strikers back then compared to now – it’s incomparable.”
Rio Ferdinand on Virgil van Dijk
Ferdinand went on to give examples of the depth he used to come up against and it shows quite a bit of nostalgia on show here. For instance, he had this to say about Aston Villa:
“Let me give you another example, Aston Villa. Emile Heskey, Darius Vassell, John Carew, [Gabby] Agbonlahor. Them men are all playing at top six teams this season.”
For starters, Vassell left before Carew or Heskey joined Villa and before Agbonlahor became a regular. The other three were in a squad together with Marlon Harewood, though. He’d score five times in 29 Premier League games for Villa.
Heskey never managed more than three in a season for Villa, either – he wasn’t in his prime by the time he went there.
But Ferdinand is also missing another key point here – those players were all playing in a top-six team back then, too. Villa finished sixth in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Compare that to the strikers at sixth-place last season, Manchester United, which includes Cristiano Ronaldo.
We do think there’s something to say about Van Dijk coming up against a sole striker and that making the game different. It doesn’t necessarily make it easier, though, given the last decade has shown how defences struggle against False 9s and aggressive no.10s instead of two out-and-out stirkers.
Both Liverpool and Manchester City both played last season without typical strikers because it makes them harder to defend, in fact. It’s just a different game and judging current players on the standards of the past is a bit silly.
Van Dijk has to defend differently, typically with a higher line and with more runners from deep. If it was that much easier to do, more centre-backs would be rated highly right now. Instead, the Liverpool star is regarded as the world’s best with some ease.
Because the job he does is a very, very difficult one and very few players can pull it off. And none as well as him.
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