Virgil van Dijk must be suffering from ‘insomnia’ at Liverpool at this moment in time, with the Dutchman a ‘shadow of himself’ at present.
That’s according to journalist Henk Spaan, who believes the defender will be haunted by the mistakes he made in the mid-week defeat to Real Madrid.
Liverpool were beaten 5-2 by Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 meeting earlier this week after a shocking second half performance from Jurgen Klopp’s side.
They had been 2-0 up at half time but were pegged back by the Spanish side before half time, with the sides going in level at the break.
What followed was a complete defensive capitulation in the second half, with goals from Eder Militao and Karim Benzema giving them a comfortable lead for the second leg.
While Van Dijk was not the worst performer by any stretch but was nowhere near the level he has set in recent years, struggling to deal with Vinicius Junior or Benzema, who took advantage gladly.
Spaan was one of those watching and believes the Liverpool will have been left unable to sleep by one particular moment.
“There are legitimate complaints about Liverpool’s defence. It is presumably less structured than Union Berlin’s,” he wrote on Het Parool.
“It is not to say that I turn my nose up at the English, as I do at those Germans. Liverpool’s defence has to make do with midfielders in front of them like Henderson and Fabinho, oldsters on whom the years are weighing heavier by the week.
“So, from 18 yards, Vinicius was able to swing his right foot through to goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s left corner for the 1-2. What happened shortly before time prior to the fifth Spanish goal is believed to have caused Virgil van Dijk days of insomnia.
“Vinicius played Benzema through his legs. The latter cut out the goalkeeper, saw three defenders, including the running back Van Dijk, pop up in the Liverpool goal and aimed the ball into the remaining hole at the top.
“The cliché is that Van Dijk is no shadow of himself. I would say he is precisely a shadow of himself. They walk through him.”
