Liverpool may be growing increasingly concerned over the personal form of one of their generally more reliable operators in Virgil van Dijk following yet another torrid defeat in the Premier League.
The Merseysiders were utterly outclassed by Manchester City, capitulating in a manner that was altogether unsurprising in the second-half of action.
That all being said, it remains unclear whether the No.4’s woes are a temporary setback linked to the overall struggles of the side or something more serious and long-lasting.
“Van Dijk, it should be said, would be the first to admit that his own levels have not been up to scratch,” Neil Jones said of the ‘outstanding’ Dutch international in a piece for GOAL.
“He knows he must do better, and that his team needs him. Gullit and Van Basten may disagree, but few players are more conscientious, more switched on, than the 31-year-old when it comes to self-assessment.
“The question really is whether this is a short-term dip, linked to the team’s issues and the sheer volume of football he has played since returning from that knee injury, or whether it is something more serious, something longer-term.”
Given how the lack of presence in the midfield has had such a broad impact on the team, it’s difficult to separate the two factors.
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Indeed, Alisson Becker has arguably been the only consistent bright spot in the starting-XI throughout a campaign that has utterly defied expectations, which would suggest that Van Dijk’s struggles will be solved to some degree should the club invest heavily in the summer.
How much in the way of surgery we’ll be able to commit to without Champions League football is up for debate, of course.
That being said, Liverpool can’t afford to keep the purse strings tight this summer given the scale of the gulf that has already developed between ourselves and the top four.
Hopefully, we shouldn’t have to worry about bringing in a top-class centre-half too beyond fresh faces in the midfield.
I really want to know why jurgen klopp dont want to buy sober and young defenders, utilility midfielders and creative attackers