Virgil van Dijk shows Liverpool what they missed last season – and it’s not what you’d expect 🔥
The Reds' talismanic defender made his long-awaited return to competitive football against Norwich City over the weekend.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk made his long-awaited return to competitive football over the weekend.
The Reds cruised to a 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Norwich City, with the Dutchman leading from the back.
We’re all aware of the impact van Dijk has on Liverpool’s defence, but there is another part of his game we missed last season.
Against Norwich, not much ran through the team without first passing through, and in many cases starting with, the centre-half.
As you can see in the illustration below, van Dijk completed the most progressive passes and passes overall for Liverpool…
There is one man who will benefit greatly from van Dijk’s return and that’s Sadio Mane.
The duo have a often overlooked relationship on the pitch, which usually results in the defender spraying 50-yard passes down the left-flank.
With van Dijk firmly back in the mix this season, it would be no surprise at all if Mane rediscovered his fine goal-scoring form.
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