Sergio Aguero believes there’s only one way to beat Virgil van Dijk. He had advice for his compatriots on the Liverpool defender.
Both Argentina and the Netherlands won on Monday, meaning they’ll meet in the World Cup Quarter-finals. The two countries have history in the competition, of course, having played in the 1978 final and the 2014 semi-finals.
Argentina won both times and the Dutch will certainly want some revenge. Virgil van Dijk leads the charge in that regard as he attempts to end Lionel Messi’s chances of winning a World Cup.
That promises to be a fierce battle and so Sergio Aguero wanted to offer some advice to his compatriots. He talked to ESPN about facing Van Dijk – something he did time and again for Manchester City.
“He’s big,” said Aguero. “Once in the Premier League, he said that the most difficult to play against was me.
“He plays with your physique. That is, he is measuring you, and you have to find a way to get him moving where you want him, because he is not one to go out and press.
“He lets you play; he waits for you to kick him the ball in behind, and he pushes your body away and bye. He plays like that.”
Sergio Aguero vs Virgil van Dijk
Aguero is right and no one has more experience playing against Van Dijk as he does. His success was a mixed bag – but that’s the same for everyone against the Dutchman, who earns £220k-a-week at Liverpool per Capology.
His method is really the only way to go. You have to force Van Dijk into the areas he doesn’t want to be or, as Aguero says, he’ll simply wait and force you into his own hands. You’re not getting in behind him with the ball.
Now, unfortunately for Van Dijk, there is no better player for doing that than Messi. Possibly ever.
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