Paul Merson claimed that Liverpool fans should be a little worried about defender Virgil van Dijk ahead of their side facing Tottenham on Sunday.
The Sky Sports pundit claimed that the centre-back looked lackadaisical while playing for the Netherlands against Germany and that this should be a cause for concern as he can’t afford to drop the ball against Spurs forward Harry Kane.
Merson also stated that Van Dijk could have Kane in his pocket for 89 minutes but due to how good Kane is, he could still pull something out of the ordinary to score even if that situation develops.
“The problem for Liverpool is that Van Dijk could have Kane in his pocket for 89 minutes and then, bang, Kane does something out of the ordinary,” said Merson on Sky Sports’ website.
“We saw a little glimpse of the old Van Dijk while he was on international duty with the Netherlands.
“He’s removed that lackadaisical element of his game this season at Liverpool, but we saw it against Germany when he casually strolled over to Serge Gnabry, and he whipped the ball into the top corner.
“That has not been Van Dijk this season, he has defended properly week in, week out.
“I would be a little worried if I was a Liverpool fan seeing that because you cannot afford to do that against Kane.
“It may be easy for Van Dijk all afternoon but he has to remain focused throughout, because it only takes a second for someone like Kane to punish you.”
OPINION
Van Dijk is a key player for Jurgen Klopp’s side and it’s odd to hear a pundit worry about him. Yet while Merson seems to have doubts about the centre-back, Liverpool fans shouldn’t fear one of their best players could potentially struggle on Sunday. While Gnabry did score for Germany at the expense of Van Dijk’s Holland, there wasn’t much more the defender could have done to stop the goal. The Reds centre-back closed the player down quickly and gave him a difficult angle to score from, so it’s not his fault that Gnabry stunned everyone by still managing to put the ball in the back of the net. It seems pundits have been waiting to find a weak point in Van Dijk’s game and seem to be eager to write him off due to one perceived bad performance. Hopefully Van Dijk takes no notice of such doubts and does what he usually does for the Reds, and helps lead them to victory.
