Virgil Van Dijk has proven his outspokenness as one of his strongest attributes, which explains why he was made the captain of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side following the departure of Jordan Henderson to Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League. The Liverpool and Netherlands captain caused quite a stir on social media with his comments about the Red Devils on Sunday.
Liverpool drew blanked at Anfield on Sunday against a United side that had recently lost to Bournemouth at Old Trafford a week ago. Virgil Van Dijk was left frustrated by United’s defensive setup, which prompted him to throw a sly dig at United, something Roy Keane wasn’t pleased with after the match.
Roy Keane reminds Van Dijk of unpleasant Liverpool record
United traveled to Anfield yesterday in the worst shape possible, and many had thought another big-margin defeat was imminent; after all, this was a United side that lost 3-0 to Bournemouth at Old Trafford a week ago. To make things worse for United, they were without crucial players like Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, Christian Eriksen, and Casemiro for the game.
Surprisingly, United held Liverpool to a goalless draw, much to Van Dijk’s annoyance, who thought Erik Ten Hag had set his team up negatively.
“There was only one team that was trying to win the game,” Virgil Van Dijk said after the match.
This comment didn’t sit well with United legend Roy Keane, who quickly took a swipe at the Liverpool captain.
“A lot of arrogance coming out of Van Dijk disrespecting United like that. Maybe that bit of arrogance backfired. He said only one team came to play. United are up against it. Sometimes, players need a reminder. It’s arrogance. You still have to go out and do it. That’s what great teams do. Liverpool have won the league once in 30 years. We played Liverpool many times when they were struggling. You find different ways to win a football match,” Roy Keane said.
Van Dijk left frustrated with draw against United
Virgil Van Dijk wasn’t happy with the result against Manchester United yesterday after his team registered 34 shots in the game. Liverpool won 7-0 at Anfield last season, with Jurgen Klopp’s men thrashing Erik Ten Hag’s United in the Dutchman’s first season at the club.
However, United set up nicely defensively against Liverpool yesterday to avoid another embarrassing scoreline. In the absence of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, Ten Hag turned to a partnership of Jonny Evans and Raphael Varane, who have been out of favor for the past few weeks under the former Ajax manager.
This draw clearly left Virgil Van Dijk fuming, and he claimed only Liverpool made a real effort to win the game in his post-match interview.
“How we played the game, having the most ball, there was only one team that was trying to win the game. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. We were superior in all aspects. They are buzzing with a point, and we are disappointed,” Van Dijk said
While Virgil Van Dijk was left frustrated, United must have been happy with a draw, considering how Liverpool were the only top side they happened to avoid a defeat against. United have lost to City, Arsenal, Newcastle, Tottenham, and Brighton this season.
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