Former Liverpool player Igor Biscan has come to the defence of Virgil van Dijk after he faced criticism from various football pundits.
Liverpool have been poor in far too many matches this season and many of the club’s recent results reflect this harsh truth.
Ibrahima Konate has come under criticism for Liverpool’s defensive issues, along with the captain Virgil van Dijk.
However, Igor Biscan, who wore the famous red and white at the start of the century, has fired shot at those looking to use van Dijk as a scapegoat.
He told Boyle Sports: “In my opinion, Virgil van Dijk is one of, if not the best defender ever to play in football.
“If you look at what he has achieved and the way he has played, the way he has dominated, I don’t think that we’ve ever seen anybody like him.”
Biscan has pointed out the fickle nature of the so-called football experts, because they are so quick to change their minds.
While many were lauding van Dijk as one of the game’s great defenders, they have since turned their backs on him after poor performances from the team as a whole.
“I can give you an example, a few games back, when he scored that winner against Atletico Madrid, when the team was doing well, and him doing all the usual stuff that he’s doing, he was repeatedly called the best or one of the best defenders,” Biscan continued.
“Now, a few games after that, when the team is not performing and conceding too many goals, then of course, everybody starts to have a go at the main guy.”
The point Biscan appears to be making is that the attitudes towards van Dijk are not a fair reflection of his performances.
Rather, they change based on how Liverpool are performing. After all, nobody was complaining about the Dutchman when he led his team to the Premier League title last season.
“I don’t think he’s the problem, for sure,” Biscan said. “He’s not a problem, cannot be the problem. He’s just too good to be a problem. And then you question his leadership skills. But then again, he’s the same guy he was last year.
“You cannot question that if he was the best, not only last year but many years before, why would he change? He probably does the same things he did last year and all those years before.
“So, I would not go so much into it and analyse every detail and then start to question his quality because that’s nonsense, really.”
This is not the case with every player. Mohamed Salah is a good example of someone who has been nothing short of world class for a number of years. However, he has shown signs that his very best days are behind him, particularly this season.
Van Dijk, however, is still an exceptional player and is by far and away the best defender Arne Slot has at his disposal.
He is perhaps just unfortunate to be surrounded by a team who are not performing. Were he lining up in the Manchester City or Arsenal defence, it would be no surprise if he was treated differently.
Biscan added: “If anybody is doing what he’s supposed to be doing and is still dominating, and he’s probably the most important player together with one or two more, it’s him, and it will always be like this, so I don’t see such a big problem there.”
“Those performances in the first part of the season when Liverpool were winning every game, it was just the same as usual, so dominant, so calm and assuring that it was just as it always was.
“It looked too easy, the things that are not so easy in reality, but he made them look easy. But we must not forget he’s not alone on the pitch. He’s not defending on his own.”
Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City was a particularly concerning loss and one which will leave a bitter taste in van Dijk’s mouth.
The central defender had his goal ruled out for offside and he was part of a backline which was nowhere near good enough on the day.
Despite this, Liverpool can start afresh after the international break and van Dijk will continue to play an important role steadying the ship with his strong presence at the heart of the team’s defence.
