The reaction in some quarters to Virgil van Dijk’s mistake against Fulham in the first leg of the Carabao Cup was as predictable as it was ridiculous.
Jason Cundy of TalkSPORT (via the Mirror) wasted no time in jumping on the error, with an almost palpable sense of glee, and branding the Dutchman ‘overrated’.
Liverpool went on to win that game, by the way, so no real harm done.
The comments made – and let’s be honest, the former Chelsea man is hardly alone in expressing such opinions – look all the more daft when taking a glance at the latest stats on the 31-year-old, courtesy of Sofascore.
Virgil van Dijk is one of two players who have yet to be dribbled past in the top 5 leagues this season 🔥
He is back 🧱 pic.twitter.com/J8fwFTdIFh
— Anything Liverpool (@AnythingLFC_) January 12, 2024
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Absolutely comparable to Terry and Ferdinand
Cundy went on to add that he felt our £75m signing wasn’t ‘anywhere near the levels, consistently, of the likes of Sol Campbell, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand’.
Feel free to insert GIFs of people spitting out their drinks at will.
Whilst we appreciate the times dribbled past stat isn’t the be and end all when it comes to discussing the best defenders in English top-flight history, how on earth can you argue Van Dijk isn’t comparable to the Premier League’s defensive legends?
What doesn’t the Dutch international have? Seriously?
Even at half-strength, he’s still the best defender in England by a country mile.
At full power? Forget it. He’s incomparable.
Why does anybody take any notice of what cundy says,everbody knows he’s got a brain about the size of a pin head when commenting on football,
I agree, I cant believe we are even mentioning Cundy in the same sentence as Van Dyke.