Former Liverpool captain Graeme Souness has urged Virgil Van Dijk to get more angry as he prepares to face Erling Haaland,
Writing for The Daily Mail, Souness said that the Liverpool defender should use his battle with Haaland to prove a point.
“When it came to playing, I made it personal. At Wembley in the Community Shield, Haaland accidentally flattened Van Dijk at one stage with a flailing arm. That would have been more than enough motivation for me,” said the pundit.
“I’m not sure Van Dijk is that kind of character, though. I’m yet to see him angry. He just looks like a movie star at times. I don’t think that’s a conscious thing. I just don’t think that anger is in him and I don’t think it’s the kind of individual he is.”
Cool customer Van Dijk needs to find his edge
At various points of this season, we’ve all surely looked to Van Dijk to show a little more animation.
The Dutchman is often the coolest customer on the pitch. In fact, it’s part of what makes him such a brilliant defender.
But when Liverpool have been getting dismantled week after week this season, you just want a little more from Virgil. That isn’t to say he isn’t trying, but it can occasionally look as though he’s cruising through games.
When the Reds are winning, this isn’t a problem. When things are going from bad to worse though, the 31-year-old needs to step up and be a leader for his team.
For a man who has worn the armband so often for Liverpool and for his country, this should come naturally. But Van Dijk isn’t Jordan Henderson. He isn’t the kind of captain who will be in the faces of his teammates demanding more from them.
Instead, Virgil tends to lead through example. His quality rubs off on those he plays alongside and by extension makes the team better.
At times, that’s enough. Coming up against the most in-form striker in world football, it’s likely that it won’t be.
Today is a big day for Liverpool’s No.4 as he aims to show the world that he’s still the best in the business. He might not show it, but the suggestions that he’s past his best will surely have angered him. It’s time to take that out on the forwards on the pitch, starting with Haaland.
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