OPINION
Sunday’s clash between Liverpool and Chelsea holds great importance for both sides, but for entirely different reasons.
The Reds’ quest for the Premier League title will be boosted with a win at Anfield, while the Blues’ hopes of achieving a top-four spot depends on whether they can get three points away from home.
One player who has no doubt been a hot topic recently is Eden Hazard, with the threat he can potentially pose dominating the discussion between numerous pundits, one of which includes Sky Sports pundit Matt Le Tissier.
He was discussing the battle between Hazard and Virgil Van Dijk, and rightly so – the contest between the two players will be fierce, what with the defender being one of the best in the league.
“If Hazard is in the mood, like he was against West Ham, then it is incredibly difficult to stop him. They have one of the best defenders in the Premier League in Virgil van Dijk trying to do that but on his day he can be unplayable no matter whichever defender you are,” he told Sky Sports.
The £180,000-a-week [Spotrac] star has been touted as a centre-back who can strike fear into any attacking player, and on the most part, this is nearly always the case. However, coping with Hazard is a whole different kettle of fish.
Many Liverpool fans will surely sweat over this claim from Le Tissier. Seeing as Van Dijk is one of the best defenders out there, the fact that Le Tissier does not think he will be able to cope with the threat of Hazard is rather alarming.
Van Dijk can handle anybody on this day, and that is the view that most of the supporters hold, and rightly so. Nevertheless, Le Tissier’s claim has proved that the 27-year-old is only human – but the possibility of him struggling is not something the fans would want to hear ahead of such an important fixture.
