Opinion

Virgil van Dijk has proven once again why he’s the best player to lead Liverpool forward

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Virgil van Dijk called a meeting between Liverpool’s players after they lost four games in a row.

And, after this meeting, in their Champions League game against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday, they managed to beat them 5-1.

Indeed, the Reds did concede the first goal of the game, which made Liverpool fans think that they were going to lose again, but Van Dijk managed to rally his troops and even get in on the goals himself.

Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3 match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Liverpool FC at Frankfurt Stadion.
Photo by Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images

Van Dijk has been Liverpool’s captain since Jordan Henderson exited Anfield in 2023, and since then, he’s continued to prove why he deserves that honour.

Virgil van Dijk’s meeting helped improve the mood of Liverpool’s players before their Eintracht Frankfurt game

As per a fresh report from The Athletic, it seems like Van Dijk got Liverpool’s first-team squad together and held a meeting to try and get them back on the right track.

The last few weeks have been a horror show for Liverpool’s fans, with their lowest moment coming when the Reds were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United last Sunday.

After this had happened, it was clear that something needed to change and, with Van Dijk being as proactive as he is, he managed to get on top of the situation and iron things out.

Indeed, Slot dropping the likes of Milos Kerkez and Mohamed Salah for their Champions League clash on Wednesday will have likely helped things as well as both players will have been taken out of the spotlight.

It was far from a perfect performance against Frankfurt, but the fact that they managed to bag five goals after only scoring three in their last four games across all competitions shows how much Van Dijk’s meeting helped.

Virgil van Dijk led by example after he scored a goal against Eintracht Frankfurt

Seeing as though a captain’s job is more than just keeping his players in line and getting them out of their ruts, Van Dijk seems to fit his role perfectly.

The towering Dutchman has been one of Liverpool’s best players over the last few years, with only Salah doing better than the captain.

This season, the tables have been turned, especially since Van Dijk has scored a couple of goals.

Van Dijk netted his first against Atletico Madrid in the opening game of their Champions League campaign, with his second coming against Frankfurt on Wednesday to send Liverpool 2-1 up.

Ibrahima Konate celebrates his goal against Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool teammate Virgil van Dijk.
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

From then on, the Reds were absolutely rampant and never looked like they were going to lose.

Although the meeting that was held among the first-team squad may not have been the only reason for Liverpool’s successes, it certainly will have set them back on the right path.