Over the past few years, there’s no denying that Virgil Van Dijk has been one of the top centre-backs in the world, if not the best.
His presence in the backline at Liverpool is one of the reasons Jürgen Klopp’s side have been so successful, but the beginning of the Reds’ season has certainly shown there is some frailty there.
It’s certainly not entirely down to Van Dijk, as the team as a whole will be to blame for a lot of what’s happened since the start of the season, with the Anfield side currently sitting 10th in the Premier League after eight games.
They do have a fixture in hand over some of those around them, but following losses to Arsenal and Manchester United in the Premier League, as well as to Napoli in the Champions League, some questions have been asked about Liverpool’s defence.
That certainly includes the Dutchman, who is expected to be part of Louis van Gaal’s Netherlands squad at the upcoming World Cup, but there are some in his home country who firmly believe players still won’t want to be playing against him despite a dip in form.
Sander Westerveld is one such man, who, speaking to Viaplay, relayed by Voetbal Primeur, called for Van Dijk to be one of the first names on the team sheet for his country, because ‘opponents get scared of him’.
He also believes that he should be flanked by Jurriën Timber and Nathan Aké, leaving the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Stefan de Vrij on the bench.
Why those two? Because, like the Liverpool star, they play at clubs that are used to playing out from the back.
He said: “In any case, Timber and Aké, because they fit very well in Louis van Gaal’s system. They are guys who both want to build up. At Manchester City and at Ajax, they do nothing else.”
