Liverpool were again hit by bad news at the start of the 2019/2020 Premier League season. After Alisson’s injury, this time it was Virgil van Dijk’s turn to follow in the footsteps of the Brazilian goalkeeper.
Van Dijk both had to step aside due to injury. However, the injury suffered by the tough Dutch defender was more severe.
Van Dijk was hit by an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury after being hit by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the Merseyside derby on Saturday (17/10). An injury that has the potential to make the Reds’ most expensive defender out for 7-8 months.
If he has to be absent for a maximum of 8 months, Van Dijk will only return in mid-May 2021. This means that Van Dijk will miss the majority of Liverpool’s remaining matches this season.
Obviously this is a big loss for Liverpool and the coach Jurgen Klopp. The port city team lost not only their most expensive defender but also an important player in Liverpool’s defense.
Van Dijk is not an arbitrary figure. The 29-year-old player is a leader and commander for other players.
Van Dijk managed to provide a sense of security for the other players at the back. So it is only natural that Van Dijk’s figure is so respected by his teammates and adored by their fans.
His contribution to Liverpool’s back line is also undeniable. Not only a matter of titles, but also the number of appearances with the team that collected 19 Premier League titles.
Since signing from Southampton in January 2018, Van Dijk has played 92 games in the Premier League. During that time, Van Dijk led Liverpool to 72 victories and only seven defeats.
This statistic is evidence of Liverpool’s big change with Van Dijk. The Reds are a team that is familiar with the victory with Van Dijk.
Liverpool’s record conceding in the Premier League has also improved since Van Dijk’s arrival. In the last three seasons, Liverpool’s goal has never conceded more than 40 goals.
In the 2017/2018 season, Liverpool’s goal conceded only 38 goals, 22 goals in the 2018/2019 season, and 33 goals in the 2019/2020 season. Whereas before that, Liverpool had always conceded more than 40 goals from the 2010/2011 to 2016/2017 season.
One other aspect that will make Liverpool tested in the absence of Van Dijk because of the calm the player has. In addition, Van Dijk is not only strong in the air but also very good at controlling the ball and providing long passes.
This plus value is not owned by other players who are left at the heart of the defense. Joel Matip is strong in aerial duels but he has no vision of playing as well as Van Dijk.
So it is with Joe Gomez. The English defender has speed but often appears restless and clumsy. Apart from these two players, the Reds only have young defenders like Sepp van den Berg, Billy Koumetio, or Rhys Williams.
These three young players have the potential to be great players. However, it is too risky for Klopp to rely on young players to navigate the intense competition in the Premier League.
Van Dijk’s absence also means changes to Klopp’s playing system. The option to play a diagonal pass that penetrates directly into the opponent’s defense can only be done by wing-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher even believes that the competition for the Premier League title has become more open with Van Dijk’s injury. The absence of Van Dijk in Carragher’s eyes will affect the game of Jordan Henderson et al.
“I think it [Van Dijk’s injury] makes the title race wide open. I feel at the start of the season Liverpool are the team to beat and with Van Dijk’s absence I think it means everything for Liverpool,” said Carragher.
“Liverpool have to buy players in January, not just because of Van Dijk’s injury. They are weak in that area – they lost Dejan Lovren at the start of the season – and players in that position are very injury prone.”
For Liverpool, the ACL Van Dijk injury is indeed bad news. However, Van Dijk’s unfortunate fate is a relief for competing teams such as Manchester City, Manchester United or Arsenal who are also peeking for opportunities to become champions.
