Tim Sherwood has commented on how Virgil van Dijk plays out the back for Liverpool following their 4-1 win at Brentford on Saturday.
The opening goal from Jurgen Klopp’s side came when their senior centre-back booted the ball forward following a corner.
That clearance or ball forward was then chased down by Diogo Jota, who managed to get his head onto it and lay it into the path of Darwin Nunez and he finished off the rest.
Tim Sherwood stated that if players like Virgil van Dijk want to play in a ‘scruffy’ manner, then he is going to do so and ‘nobody is going to shout at him’ for doing so, as he told Premier League Productions (17/02/24 at 5:15 pm).
Liverpool fans have seen time and time again, yes, they can play the pretty stuff and bring the ball out from the back.
But there have been numerous occasions when Alisson Becker has just punted the ball long for the on-rushing Mohamed Salah and it has resulted in many memorable goals, as both Manchester clubs will know.
That’s the side of Liverpool’s game Tim Sherwood very much likes and he highlighted Virgil van Dijk’s recent role at Brentford.
Liverpool beat Brentford
“I like that trait in Liverpool, they aren’t afraid to be scruffy,” said Sherwood. “Van Dijk, he has no problem with kicking the ball long out of his box.
“He leads. Nobody is going to turn around and shout at him. He is a leader there. He gets that ball forward, gets it early, kicks it high and as hard as he can. Then they chase it down. He knows they have willing runners up there.
“The last thing you want is a bouncing ball. If you can’t get your head on it and let that ball bounce, then as a defender, you know there is pace coming in from behind you and you saw that.
“They all supported each other. When they get into the dangerous areas, they pick the right pass at the right time and their finishing was clinical.”
Virgil van Dijk’s importance
The injuries are piling up at the wrong time for Liverpool. Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota went off against Brentford.
Whilst Alisson Becker and Trent Alexander-Arnold are already out, that just makes van Dijk even more important at the back.
The £220k-a-week star has all the experience in the world and has been back to his best during this campaign, as the Reds lead the line at the top of the Premier League table.
Manchester City might have dropped points at home to Chelsea, but Arsenal are now playing their best football and have scored 11 goals in their last two matches in this enthralling three-way Premier League title race.
The post ’Nobody is going to shout at him’: Tim Sherwood says £220k-a-week Liverpool star plays how he wants appeared first on HITC.
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