Crisis over! Virgil van Dijk is back to his best and a new contract is essential – Liverpool FC

Virgil van Dijk remains a standout among the world’s best centre-backs after a successful first season as Liverpool captain.

The departures of Jordan Henderson and James Milner led to Van Dijk being handed the captaincy last summer, and it was one of the proudest moments of his career.

All eyes were on how the Dutchman would perform under the added pressure. What we saw was a football player returning to his best form.

Peak Van Dijk after a year’s break

Van Dijk’s performances in 2022/23 were, by his own admission, unsatisfactory.

Like many others, he lacked focus and mistakes began to creep into his game, leading some to suggest he had reached his peak.

There was no guarantee that Van Dijk, who turned 32 in July and suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury on the bank, would reach the levels we saw between 2018 and 2022.

How wrong were we?

In a season filled with injury problems for other key players, Van Dijk was almost always in action, starting 36 of 38 Premier League games.

No Reds player has played more minutes in the league and no player has logged more minutes in all competitions.

Man City and Arsenal were renowned for their control of the game, but Liverpool’s game was more chaotic and open, requiring a near-perfect skipper.

That proved to be the case for most of the campaign, with Van Dijk cruising through matches and holding the defense together.

no Liverpool players I won more Aerial duels (81.7%) or higher tackle rates (81.3%);

There has been one high-profile incident with Alisson at Arsenal, but such incidents can happen to any player and Van Dijk has been impeccable as a defender for most of 2023/24.

The Dutch captain maintained extremely high standards while others around him began to wither and lose steam, but ultimately there was only so much one man could do.

In the end, Liverpool lost strength and conceded more goals, but it was difficult to place much blame on Van Dijk.

League Cup win, legendary moment

If there is one moment that will forever define Van Dijk’s 2023/24 season, it is his Carabao Cup-winning header against Chelsea.

The Liverpool skipper had already been cruelly robbed of what looked to be the winning goal early in the game, but he was not to be denied in extra-time.

The goal immediately added to Van Dijk’s legend, as he won the match and received a grand celebration, lifting the trophy in his first year as captain.

But what we must not forget is how huge he was in his all-round performance that day at Wembley.

With Klopp fielding the likes of Bobby Clark, James McConnell and Jaden Dance, the way Van Dijk commanded his troops epitomized his greatness.

Van Dijk delivers 120 minutes of non-stop action on the big pitch at Wembley made Made seven clearances, won seven out of ten duels and completed more passes than any other player with 92 (91% accuracy).

Simply put, Klopp’s final season would have been trophyless without him, and his winner was the cherry on top of another defensive masterclass.

When the most iconic player produces really It’s important. And no player contributed more to Klopp’s final trophy win than Van Dijk.

Big Virg is more important than ever.

There are question marks over a number of players this summer, with Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez not entirely convincing, and Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah not getting any younger.

But when it comes to Van Dijk, he is more essential to the cause than ever.

Not surprisingly, some experts did not include him in the team of the season. After a while, choosing him gets boring! – But he is again the best centre-back in the Premier League.

At 32, other people naturally start writing his football obituary, but the truth is he looks just as good as he did at 28.

A long-term replacement will eventually need to be found and with Joel Matip leaving and Ibrahima Konate injured this summer, a new defender is essential, but Arne Slot will know the importance of Van Dijk from the start.

They may even benefit more from the next manager’s less frenetic style of play than Klopp and be less exposed than before.

The towering Dutchman appears to be relaxed about his contract situation, despite his current deal expiring next summer and it would be a given to extend his stay for another two or three years.

Liverpool’s greatest defender of all time is still just beginning his tenure as captain, and we expect many more legendary stories to be written before he retires.

There is no better Reds player in 2023/24.

Best moment: Carabao Cup winning goal.

Worst moment: Confusion over Alisson at Arsenal.

Roles for next season: Core starter.