EXCLUSIVE
Bad Call
Paolo Di Canio’s claim on Virgil van Dijk backfires as the Liverpool centre-back praised for his display against Inter Milan in the Champions League
Paolo Di Canio might regret his comments about Virgil van Dijk after claiming the Liverpool centre-back wasn't as good as he used to be.
The Dutchman's though quashed those claims against Inter Milan in the first leg of the round-of-16 of the Champions League, and instead drew praise from former Reds midfielder Dietmar Hamann and ex-Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor.
6
After sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury against Everton in October 2020, van Dijk had been on a long path to build himself back up again as one of the best centre-backs in the world.
Unsurprisingly, when he was back in the starting line up at the beginning of the 2021/22 campaign, the Netherlands captain found it difficult to produce the displays that saw him become one of the most fearsome defenders in the game.
With that in mind, Di Canio believed that he could have been a target for the Inter forwards prior to the game.
At this stage of the season, Liverpool have some small cracks in the armour that can be exploited," he told told La Gazzetta dello Sport magazine SportWeek.
"The Liverpool of two years ago had an impenetrable defence, as Virgil van Dijk had improved everyone around him.
"Since returning from injury, he’s not the same player and therefore the whole team concedes more.
6
Most read in Champions League
"Liverpool keep conceding the same dangerous opportunities nowadays, vertical balls behind the defenders, who then start their runs late. That lack of focus is where Inter can hurt them.
"If you also look at Van Dijk’s body language, he used to move his arms to bring the full-backs tighter, but now he just flails his arms, complaining and looking frustrated with his team-mates."
Against the defending champions of Serie A, none of Di Canio's claims were on exhibit, and instead van Dijk helped his side keep a clean sheet and produce a 7.7 rating which was only bettered by Andy Robertson, according to .
Even in the match where Inter looked threating, the Dutchman and his teammates held strong, and it was something Agbonlahor was keen to commend.
6
"I don't understand why people were so shocked that Inter had a good spell in the game," the former Aston Villa striker said on talkSPORT's Breakfast show.
"This is Inter Milan away, they're near the top of the league in Serie A, it was always going to be a tough game.
"I think Manchester City and Liverpool have set such big standards, everyone thinks it will be an easy, comfortable win.
"But it's still a tough place to go, the San Siro.
6
"Amazing result for Liverpool, defended well, Van Dijk's looking like the best defender in the world at the moment, [Ibrahima] Konate's looking better and better every game.
"Even the substitutes they brought on, they made a difference and I think this Liverpool team is going to be the biggest danger to Manchester City winning the Champions League."
Agbonlahor's words were echoed by Liverpool's former midfielder, Hamann, who said that the victory over Inter was a 'performance of champions'.
The German was also keen to praise van Dijk's defensive partner Konate, and added that the Premier League title race 'is not over'.
6
"I don't think it's over," the German also said on Breakfast.
"I think the biggest difference is that Liverpool now seem to have huge confidence in their defence again.
"In the earlier parts of the season they were leaking goals, hardly kept a clean sheet, but since that Chelsea game in early January, they have hardly conceded goals and kept a lot of clean sheets.
"Going to Burnley, it's a tough place, going to the San Siro yesterday...
6
"The partnership [between] van Dijk and Konate looks outstanding, van Dijk probably needed a bit longer than people thought after his cruciate ligament injury.
Read More on talkSPORT
"But if you watch them now, they are a proper side, yesterday, they didn't play well, but that was a performance of champions.
"If City were to slip up, I think Liverpool will be there, I don't think it looks likely at the moment that it's all over in the league."
Topics