Jurgen Klopp made a surprise half-time substitution against Brentford as he took off Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk. The boss explained what happened after the game.
Virgil van Dijk did not have a good first half against Brentford. He certainly wasn’t alone in that – Liverpool were absolutely appalling all night – but it always feels like a shock when Van Dijk struggles.
One moment was called ‘sobering’ as the Dutchman struggled to stop Brentford getting in behind him. It was a poor performance and one that became even more shocking when Van Dijk went off at half-time.
Was it an injury or was he hooked? Jurgen Klopp explained what happened after the final whistle in an interview with Sky Sports.
“Virg said ‘I’m fine’, but he got treatment on his hamstring, and so we said ‘don’t risk’. So he was out because of that,” said Klopp.
Virgil van Dijk substitution
Klopp also said that he ‘hoped’ that Van Dijk wasn’t actually injured. This was a precaution is seems but also a telling one.
After all, if the player felt he was fine, you’d usually expect someone of Van Dijk’s calibre to get the benefit of the doubt. Or at least you’d feel more inclined to risk it as he can make such a difference.
But this was Van Dijk near enough at his worst. That simply must have played a part in Liverpool’s thinking as any problem appeared to have an effect.
Now we’ll join Klopp in hoping that there wasn’t any long-term injury and this was merely a hamstring issue that threw Van Dijk off. Liverpool desperately need him back to his best if they’re to recover their form.
While the defender hasn’t been at his best this season, the Reds’ reliance on Van Dijk remains high. Getting him to his highest level is essentially priority one right now.
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