Ian Wright shares what he keeps spotting Virgil Van Dijk doing now, it was costly vs Arsenal

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There’s no question that Virgil van Dijk is one of the reasons Liverpool currently find themselves top of the Premier League table.

After a poor season last year, Van Dijk has been back to his best this time out. Now Liverpool captain, the 32-year-old has stepped up in all respects in the absence of Jordan Henderson and James Milner.

But that doesn’t negate the fact that Virgil was at fault for one of the biggest moments of the season on Sunday. His mix up with Alisson Becker allowed Gabriel Martinelli to restore Arsenal’s lead at a time they weren’t looking particularly threatening. The Reds couldn’t find a way back.

One of those who perhaps took delight in the Dutchman’s misfortune was Arsenal legend Ian Wright. But speaking on the Wrighty’s House podcast yesterday, Wright claimed that the Gunners’ second goal wasn’t Van Dijk’s only mistake of the game – he should’ve done better on Leandro Trossard’s third as well.

“I looked at that as well, because he’s [Trossard] got so much space, once he’s turned beautifully down that line, I’m thinking because there’s no one else around Trossard in respects of someone to play it into, I thought that Van Dijk could have came across quicker,” said the pundit. “You don’t really see too many people go towards Van Dijk, do a bit with him, beat him and score. I believe he thought the wider he goes he’s not beating Alisson because Alisson’s too good, he’s banked on that.

“I’m thinking surely you’ve got to close him down and then the shot came off of him because he didn’t tackle. I’ve seen that from Virgil for a little while now, he jockeys and jockeys and jockeys.”

Wright points out Van Dijk error

This is hardly a hot take from Wright. It has been pointed out for a little while now that Van Dijk is a defender who doesn’t always like to engage.

Instead of flying towards players in dangerous areas, the Liverpool captain tends to assess his options and close down the space.

A lot of the time, this will work excellently. Take his famed one vs two defending against Moussa Sissoko at Tottenham Hotspur back in 2019, for example.

Rather than shutting down the player and opening up another path, Van Dijk simultaneously closes off all options to the attacker. Few – if any – do this as well as the Netherlands international.

But there are times when this tactic doesn’t quite work. As Wright says, there were no options for Trossard to hit in the box, he was going to have to shoot.

Backing your goalkeeper is fine, and more often than not Alisson comes out on top. Isn’t it better to ensure no shot comes in in the first place, though?

If you let a player shoot – and Trossard is a decent finisher mind you – there’s always a chance of goal. As it turned out, Van Dijk decided on his course of action just too late and contributed to the effort beating Alisson.

That’s the risk of defending the way Virgil does. It works most of the time, but when it doesn’t, it can look really poor. Don’t expect him to change though, this is simply the big man’s style.