The ECHO's end-of-season ratings continue with an assessment of captain Virgil van Dijk, who was outstanding for large parts
It was a phrase Virgil van Dijk later claimed to regret, but few could have blamed him as he sat in the Wembley dressing room with his hands full with silverware in late February.
"I fully understand the noise that came with it but I am a human being and not immune to any of that, so there was a bit of emotion that day but I shouldn’t have said that," he later revealed. "Maybe in one way it was good to say because it gets it out of me, but I don’t like noise around me. I like to play the game."Cody GakpoIn his first season as club captain, Van Dijk will be able to reflect on a job well done.
Having been raised on a diet of demands from the combative duo of Jordan Henderson and James Milner, two famously determined and dedicated professionals, the change of captaincy to the more laid-back pair of Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold led to a more serene atmosphere day to day, it was told. In one sequence in early 2024, Van Dijk had won 24 of the 25 duels he had contested across a six-game sequence and his inspired display in a cup final that saw Jurgen Klopp forced to start four others who weren't his 'first choice' in the back five was integral. The defender ended the season with the best aerial duel win rate in any of Europe's top-five leagues.
Speaking after Van Dijk cajoled and a young and unfamiliar defensive line-up into subduing City in a 1-1 draw at Anfield, where the dominant hosts failed to convert their chances, Carragher once more moved to extol the virtues of the centre-back, labelling him one of the greats.
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