This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Virgil van Dijk has been no stranger to compliments over the past few months and Lionel Messi is the latest to admonish praise on the Liverpool defender.
What did he say?
There are not many players who the Argentinian finds difficult to play against, so his acknowledgement of van Dijk in that capacity alone is worthy praise.
However, he specifically points out what makes the Netherlands captain so effective and such a challenge to play against, and that is his athleticism.
Van Dijk is not only accomplished with the ball at his feet – with a pass accuracy of 87% this season – or at reading play, which Messi alludes to, but also at shutting down danger due to his remarkable physicality.
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Speaking to Marca, as reported by the The Liverpool Echo, Messi said: “He is a defender that knows how to judge the timing and wait for the right moment to get in or hold on.
“He is very fast and big, but he has a lot of agility for his height. He is fast because of his great stride and is impressive, both in defence and attack, because he scores many goals.”
The Barcelona man is not the only player who thinks that of the centre-back, with Troy Deeney likewise stating that he “hates” playing against him because of his physical attributes, so it is little surprise that he has managed to transform the Liverpool defence.
Elite athleticism
The Reds kept the most clean sheets of any side in the 2018/19 Premier League, and much of that is due to the speed of van Dijk, both mentally and physically.
In league competition for Jurgen Klopp’s side he has achieved an average interception rate of 1.3, 1.1 and 1.4 per game respectively in each of the three campaigns he has played in, and not many teams have been able to get the better of him.
His pace is phenomenal for a player of his frame. He stands at 193cm and weighs 92kg, and though he has impressive strength the most astonishing aspect is the fact he recorded the fastest speed in the Champions League last year at 34.5 km/h.
He did so against Barcelona, too, so it is little surprise that Messi has remarked upon that aspect of his play. The Dutchman is unique in the physical attributes he has, as not many players are blessed with both strength and speed.
That helps him to be such an astute defender, leading to nominations for the FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year, as well as claiming the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award.
