OPINION
Virgil van Dijk is the best centre back in the Premier League – or at least that is what Liverpool fans will have you think.
While rival fans might not want to admit it, the Reds faithful might well have a point too.
There is no doubting the Dutchman’s abilities at the heart of the defence, dominating attackers with not only his mighty physical presence but his intelligent reading of the game and expert positioning – you need only look at how he managed Moussa Sissoko as the Frenchman bore down on goal for Tottenham on Saturday to see how brilliant he really is.
However it is not just his own performances which have to be admired but the way in which he has transformed the qualities of those around him, the Liverpool defence looking a lot more resolute simply with his addition to the line up.
It seems his teammates have the same opinion, Joel Matip heralding the former Southampton man while admitting it has taken a little bit of learning.
He told the London Evening Standard: “Being around him, I think everybody improves. He has had a big impact on the improvement. It’s great to play [with] him. He’s a complete defender and he knows what to do.
“Every defender does things a little bit differently. You always need some time to really know each other. This is normal. I think we need this time in a good way and this is working most of the time quite well.”
Now van Dijk has had his fair share of partners at the back – Matip preceded by Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren in lining up alongside him at the back – and as the current choice points out, you need time to learn and to adapt to play as a pair.
Constantly chopping and changing is not going to get the consistency needed to have a solid defence and while injuries have played their part, it is time for Klopp to make that crunch decision.
Gomez is back fit and Lovren has been regular backup and the German boss has got to decide who van Dijk’s number one partner is.
