Liverpool legend Ray Clemence has heaped praise on the “massive influence” that Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker had on the team last season.
Liverpool finished the season with 97 Premier League points and a sixth Champions League trophy, with the duo forming a big part of their success in both competitions.
Alisson kept 21 league clean sheets, while Van Dijk was imperious in defence and, speaking to Goal, Clemence reflected on the impact both had on Jurgen Klopp’s side.
“Who had the biggest influence for Liverpool over the full year? I would say it was Van Dijk,” the 70-year-old said.
“It is more difficult to create and score goals but when you have an influence over a side like Van Dijk had last season, it wasn’t just what he did, it was what he gave. I think he should be a very strong contender for [the Ballon d’Or]..
“Alisson and Van Dijk have been massive. I like to put the two of them together because I think the two of them have been a massive influence at Liverpool defensively and on the whole team as well.
“A year ago, if Liverpool went 1-0 up, you thought they are probably going to need to score another goal because they could concede one somewhere. Van Dijk and Alisson being alongside young, talented players have meant they can win with a single goal.”
OPINION
Clemence could not be more spot on with these comments. While the likes of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane were once again fantastic up front, the hard work all starts at the back for Liverpool. It was their biggest problem for years – whenever Liverpool took the lead there was an expectation that they would come up with a defensive error and be pegged back. Now, though, that threat has been vanquished by the presence of Van Dijk and Alisson. One of the best examples of that came in the Champions League final, perhaps the greatest stage on which they could have shown their prowess. The goalkeeper made a string of fantastic saves to keep Liverpool in the lead, while there was one moment when Son Heung-min looked like he had the beating of Van Dijk with pace, but the Dutchman stepped it up a gear and stuck out a foot brilliantly to quash the danger. Overall, in their first full seasons at Anfield, Alisson and Van Dijk have been excellent and fans should be very excited for the campaigns to come.
