First Name: Virgil
Surname: Van Dijk
Squad Number: 4
Position: Defender
Height: 1.93m
Weight: 92kg
D.O.B.: 08.07.1991.
Town of Birth: Breda
Country of Birth: Netherlands
Nationality: Dutch
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Before I started the video clip, I thought that the platform would be in slow rotation…and did not expect that the camera on an motion arm to be spinning at such high speed!
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I remember when Van Dijk struck terror into opposing teams. I wonder if he will ever find back to that level again. I have questions , many hopes and many worries concerning this team.
@Magnus After a period of adjustment, VVD was back to his best last season and he played the highest mins for us. I think his struggles are, at least in part, due to fatigue.
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Played 90 mins in both NL games, hopefully not to stretched. 
Possibly our biggest weakness alongside Trent currently, not sure what’s going on but he’s Maguire levels of shit.
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I saw Saliba’s stats on not being dribbled once this season and felt sad. Used to love it when it was in context of our players. Whatever it is, he cannot become a normal CB this easily after the kind of seasons he had before the injuries. His coming to form and to his original best is very crucial for our season!
How can he possibly be our “biggest weakness” alongside Trent?
Trent has single handedly cost us about 604 points this season…Virgil can’t be there to superglue everyone’s hand together.
Fab & Hendo have done nothing to protect our back 4 all season.
Virgil looks a shadow of his former self. Fabinho looks a shadow of his former self.
Too many of the look like shadows
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Van Dijk has made more mistakes in the space of two months than he has made during the past 5 years put together. This is the worst he’s ever been.
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100%, Van Dijk was always a very nonchalant defender, he made it all look effortless, all confidence and an arrogant swagger of knowing you are the best… none of this diving in rashly etc. the problem is he’s playing the same arrogant way but is now no longer dominating the one v ones… the great part and finely tuned of our defence was our central defenders mopping up everything that happened, being proactive and dominating the opponent, it allowed our fullbacks to push on and leave space. We held a strong line and everyone worked for eachother.
Now We collectively have no shape, no organisation and a single pass into the lines makes us go full panic mode.
What you expect from Van Dijk is calm and control, yet he’s as bad as everyone else for losing his head.
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I think it’s a case of fatigue:
2021-22: 51 games, 4620 mins
2022-23: 10 games, 900 mins
NT: 11 games, 990 mins (Jun 21 to Sep 22)
That’s one game in every 6.7 days over a period of 16 months.
Yet the only clear mistake he’s led to a goal before today was the pen at Fulham?
Most the mistakes are coming from 1 individual.
Sure his level has dropped, his long range passes don’t seem to find the mark and some of his clearances have looked panicky
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He’s been way below par for us, but from what I’ve read he was his usual self for the national team in a back three. The lack of protection ahead of him is a bigger worry than anything mentally for me.
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