One current Premier League striker has named Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk as the most difficult opponent he has faced during his career.
When that question was put to him by @FootballDaily, Brighton’s Glenn Murray identified the 28-year-old as his toughest opponent, hailing him as a “fantastic footballer”, saying: “Virgil van Dijk, I think he’s just a step above the rest and it’s shown in Liverpool’s success since he’s joined the club.
The 36-year-old Seagulls veteran continued: “What once was a little bit of an uneasy defence, let’s say, I think he’s shored it up and he’s bringing the best out of those around him, especially both full-backs and now Joe Gomez coming through. He’s just a fantastic footballer.”
?"Virgil van Dijk is a step above the rest"
Glen Murray on his toughest opponent pic.twitter.com/E80fxTOdp3
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) March 23, 2020
When looking at Murray’s record in games against Van Dijk, perhaps it is no surprise that he has singled out the Dutchman as a formidable opponent, having scored against him only once in his career. That was for Brighton against Southampton in October 2017, one of 26 Premier League goals he has struck for the Seagulls.
The duo have been on opposing sides on four other occasions, when Van Dijk helped to keep a clean sheet against Murray each time. The first of those was in Southampton’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth in November 2015, with the Dutchman also keeping the veteran striker at bay in Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Brighton on the final day of the 2017/18 Premier League, as well as the Reds’ 1-0 home and away wins against the south coast club last season.
Murray is also right to hail Van Dijk’s impact on Liverpool’s defence as a whole since moving to Anfield in January 2018. The Reds had conceded 42 or more Premier League goals in each of the four seasons prior to 2017/18, during which they had shipped 28 top-flight goals prior to his league debut for the Reds against Swansea that January. They would only concede 10 more in the league thereafter and, with the Dutchman starting every game in the division since summer 2018, Liverpool have let in just 43 league goals in that time – seven fewer than in the 2013/14 and 2015/16 seasons each.
The impact that Van Dijk has made at Anfield has been extraordinary and, given that Murray has scored against him so rarely despite generally being potent at Premier League level, it’s not hard to see why he has picked Liverpool’s defensive colossus as the toughest opponent he has faced during a 15-year professional career.
Liverpool fans, what did you make of Murray’s wholesome praise of Van Dijk? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
