Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen Discuss Virgil van Dijk's Form Amid Liverpool's Champions League Exit

Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen Discuss Virgil van Dijk’s Form Amid Liverpool’s Champions League Exit

During a conversation about Liverpool’s elimination from the Champions League, pundits Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen reached a consensus that Virgil van Dijk’s performance has been deteriorating.

Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen have been deliberating on the cause of Virgil van Dijk’s lackluster performance, and whether he is solely responsible or if his teammates share some of the blame.

Liverpool was unable to overturn their deficit in the Champions League game against Real Madrid, losing 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu and ultimately exiting the competition with a 6-2 aggregate loss. Despite their efforts to mount a comeback, the team was unable to score a single goal in the game, which was a challenging task after their significant defeat in the first leg at Anfield.

Real Madrid emerged victorious, with Karim Benzema scoring the decisive goal in the latter stages of the game, confirming their triumph. The defeat all but confirms that Liverpool will not win any trophies this season, as Klopp’s team has been enduring a rather disappointing campaign.

This season has also been disappointing for many of Liverpool’s key players, including Virgil van Dijk, who has struggled to find his form. Prior to Liverpool’s match against Real Madrid, BT Sport pundit Ferdinand discussed the Dutch defender’s performance, stating, “I believe there are periods in one’s career where things don’t go as expected. However, if we look back at some of the top center-backs from previous years, such as John Terry, Jaap Stam, Vidic, Kompany, Sol Campbell, among others…”

“I don’t remember those having a season off, or big periods of the season where they had eight or nine games where they were struggling. But the form of the team has an affect on that. That’s the one thing I will say, sometimes you need a team performing around you, and he hasn’t had a team performing around him in a way that would suit his style of play.”

Former Reds striker Owen added: “Especially in this team, because when Liverpool are playing well, they (the defence) don’t really have much to do. When they are pressing from the front, how many times did you see Liverpool winning the ball up the top?

“But the problem is that they leave themselves exposed, we all know that, so it’s a difficult place and position to play if your team is not playing well. He is getting exposed all the time at the moment, one-v-one. Because he is not dealing with it well, and it’s getting worse and worse and worse. When Liverpool are playing well, you don’t even notice that because he just mops everything up and he rarely gets called upon.”

Liverpool and van Dijk now have a potentially beneficial gap in their schedule since their match against Fulham was postponed because of the Cottagers’ participation in the FA Cup. The Reds will not play again before the international break and will face Manchester City on April 1 when they return. Upon their return, Liverpool will aim to fight their way back into the top four to secure Champions League football for next season. Meanwhile, Van Dijk will be keen to regain his previous season’s form.