Virgil Van Dijk- Heart Of Southampton Defense
Netherlands center-back Virgil Van Dijk, who made a move to Southampton from Celtic in September 2015 has been one of the most impressive defenders in the Premier League this season. Defenders nowadays prefer to play attractive football and attempt fancy passes which result in the team conceding goals more often than not. His orthodox style of defending makes him an effective option to pursue for any manager.
Southampton is currently 9th on the Premier League table with 21 points having scored 14 and conceded just 15 goals. Under Van Dijk’s leadership, the defenders have performed admirably even against the toughest of teams. He has led from the front delivering sublime performances consistently which has motivated the others to follow suit .
Virgil Van Dijk has been very crucial for Claude Puel’s team
Recently when asked to comment on his star defender’s performances this season Southampton manager Claude Puel made the following comments which indicate how highly he rates him-
“I think Virgil, since the beginning of the season, has made progress, He has improved both technically and tactically as well, in the duel he is fantastic. For me, he has all of the qualities to become one of the best defenders in the world, there is no problem for this, Virgil has the answer – he must continue his work to continue his progress”.
Speaking on the development and change of playing scenario in England, Puel added
“It has been a new thing for him this season to defend with 50 or 60 metres behind him, and it is difficult to leave that space. For me, it is important to defend at a high level, especially when we play against a great team with strikers who are very fast, it is important to be able to anticipate all of the possibilities of the opponent”.
Interesting stats in 2016-17 campaign
The performance in this season has not been an isolated one. The Oranje defender delivered similar impressive performances even in the last campaign for Ronald Koeman led Southampton. Van Dijk was one crucial element and helped the team finish at a respectable position. Virgil Van Dijk is one of the strongest defenders out there and is capable of heading the ball well into the back of the net which makes him a threat from set pieces also. In spite of his strength the defender is quite nimble which enables him to react fast and block out any counter attacks.
Jose Fonte the Southampton veteran General has finally found a successor who is capable of handling the burden he had been entrusted with all these days.
Let’s take a look at his defensive stats this season-
Appearances | Tackles/game | Interceptions/game | clearances/game |
16 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 7.1 |
These statistics clearly highlight Virgil Van Dijk’s impact on the team. He has snuffed out every attack by tackling and intercepting passes effectively. Not only this, he has even contributed with goals at crucial moments from set pieces which have made the vital difference between a victory and a defeat in many games. Van Dijk’s high concentration levels, ball interception skills have been recognised as the attributes which have contributed to his success. He usually prefers to play the ball off the ground in case of any threats which snuffs out the attack.
Impressive performances against Premier League biggies
Van Dijk was extremely impressive in the heart of the defense for the Saints against top teams like Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal. Southampton were able to subdue a ferocious Liverpool attack and restrict them to a 0-0 scoreline mainly because of the dutchman’s abilities. Virgil is to Southampton what Vincent Kompany has been to Manchester City. Sadio Mane could easily have tilted the match in Liverpool’s favour by converting a late chance presented but failed to do so, because of a sublime last ditch tackle by Southampton’s messiah.
Manchester City led by Pep Guardiola expected an easy win for his boys against a Southampton side led by Claude Puel which had just recorded a 1-0 loss against Inter Milan in their Europa Cup clash. Kelechi Ihenacho was able to score in the 55th minute because of a rare defensive lapse which was a shock for the fans considering the resolute Southampton defensive game-play by their team. Jose Fonte, Van Dijk and Oriol Romeu’s excellent performances ensured a 1-1 draw for the Saints.
Southampton’s 2-1 win against Arsenal in November was another fixture in which Virgil earned praise and admiration from all because of his excellent leadership and performance as a defender. Puel opted to field an inexperienced lineup termed ”wet behind the ears” by experts and fans before the kickoff. Cuco Martina, Maya Yoshida, Harrison Reed, Sofiane Boufal and Sam McQueen were handed rare starts against a top attacking side like Arsenal with Virgil the only experienced man in defense which indicated the gaffer’s confidence in his abilities. Arsenal dominated the match with 63% possession but still failed to get that decisive goal against the Saints.
Virgil has been linked with transfer moves to Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City in the January window which might force him to bid adieu to “The Saints”. Even in case of such an eventuality, Virgil is expected to keep on growing and earn a spot among the World’s best defenders in the near future.