Why Virgil van Dijk captaincy decision could prove CRUCIAL for Liverpool's hopes this season
Sam McGuire
- 21 Aug 2023 20:00 BST
- 5 min read
To say the 2022/23 campaign was underwhelming for Liverpool would be an understatement. The Reds could only claim a fifth-place finish in the Premier League and were dumped out of the Champions League in the round of 16, losing 6-2 to Real Madrid on aggregate.
Jurgen Klopp struggled to find a system to suit the players, the exploits of 2021/22 caught up to individuals and a number of key men spent time on the sidelines for one reason or another. Virgil van Dijk was a victim of circumstance in all of this.
For starters, the system used by the Reds earlier in the season exposed the Dutch captain more than in previous years. He was having to defend larger areas and coupled with the fact he looked a little slower meant everything was a little more amplified and exaggerated.
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On a few occasions, he was easily beaten and this sort of thing was unthinkable only a couple of years ago.
A hamstring injury also ruled him out for all of January and for the first two weeks of February. After missing the delayed Euro 2020 competition, many had pondered whether he was holding back a little in the first half of the 2022/23 season to ensure he would make it to the World Cup.
But his performances didn’t really improve after his stint away in Qatar. By no means was he bad, he just wasn’t at the level many had come to expect from the Liverpool number four.
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Certain metrics did drop off a little, however.
For example, per FBref, he wasn’t as progressive as he once was with his passing. He was also attempting fewer long passes and this trait was a staple of peak Van Dijk at Anfield.
The former Southampton tackled just 42% of the dribblers he faced, down from the 68.8% he posted during the 2021/22 campaign when the Reds almost won the quadruple. Aerially, there was a bit of a dip too. Whereas in previous years he was winning closer to 80% of his aerial duels, last season he was successful just 74% of the time.
These might seem like minimal differences but they do all add up. If a player is tackling fewer players, not attempting as many switches of play and he’s winning fewer duels, it is going to be noticeable.
Rival fans had wondered whether age had finally caught up to the one-time Celtic man. At the end of the season, he turned 32. He’d played a lot of football following the move to Anfield in January 2018 and then the serious knee injury sustained against Everton in October 2020 could’ve changed him as a player.
The club, however, clearly felt differently.
Following the departures of Jordan Henderson and James Milner, Van Dijk was appointed as Liverpool’s new captain. In the eyes of many, it was the obvious choice. After all, the centre-back captains the Netherlands and has worn the armbands on countless occasions for the Reds over recent years. Klopp wasn’t short of options though.
Mohamed Salah had a claim, as did Alisson Becker and Andrew Robertson. Klopp himself said he tended to favour long-term appointments so that could’ve presented Trent Alexander-Arnold with an opportunity. In the end, the right-back had to settle for the vice-captaincy.
Van Dijk has excelled since being named captain
Upon being named as the captain, Van Dijk had this to say: “Obviously I’m captain of Holland, that was already such a huge honour, a proud moment as well. But also to be the captain of Liverpool Football Club is something that I can’t describe at this point.
“It’s just something that makes me very proud and I will do everything in my power and what I can do to make everyone proud and happy with me and the football club.”
Since being given the armband, Van Dijk has looked back to his dominant best. The sample size isn’t the largest - just the two Premier League games this term, but the signs are encouraging.
Against Chelsea, he won 100% of his duels and he was up against an energetic, powerful striker in Nicolas Jackson. He followed that showing up with another imperious performance, this time against Bournemouth in Liverpool’s 3-1 win.
The skipper finished the match with a pass success rate of 97% while also attempting the most passes of anyone on the pitch. He made five interceptions and won five of his six aerial duels. Van Dijk was also unlucky not to score when one of his headed efforts cannoned back off the crossbar.
It could well be a little premature to say this but the added pressure and responsibility might’ve refocused the 32-year-old. If these last two matches are anything to go off, he’s looking much more like his former self and that can only be a positive for the Reds.
With Van Dijk appearing back to his best, Liverpool have a platform for success, something that may not have been possible if the Dutchman had started this campaign at last season's level.
