9 hours ago
32
Virgil Van Dijk was criticized by Liverpool fans just 10 minutes into Saturday's preseason friendly against European rivals AC Milan in Hong Kong.
Rafael Leao opened the scoring early on for Milan, as the winger paid tribute to the late Diogo Jota, who died in a car accident three weeks ago. It was an impressive solo goal from Leao, as the Portuguese man ran in behind the Liverpool defense before firing past Alisson Becker on the angle.
Liverpool fans watching on, however, appear to feel that Leao's opener could well have been prevented, with Van Dijk highlighted for not closing down the winger.
The club captain attempted to track Leao's run, but was unable to stop the Milan man from getting his shot away and opening the scoring. Clearly believing Van Dijk could have done more, one fan tweeted on X: "Virgil Van Dijk refused to get closer to Leao which gave Leao all the freedom to shoot and score, why did he do that!"
A second then added: "He does that often, so he doesn't get dribbled [past.]" A third fan then posted: "Why didn't he close up more he didn't have any AC Milan players in the box," before a fourth wrote: "That’s really poor defending.
"Preseason excuse may be valid, but I’ve seen this before from him in the prem." Not everyone was quick to unload on the Liverpool No. 4 though, with a group of Liverpool fans jumping to his defense, with more credit going to the forward rather than a defensive mistake.
"Anticipating he would cut in on his right foot and taking a chance he wouldn't pull off a great finish with his left ... Which he did," one tweeted, before another went on to add: "He narrowed the angle, it was just a good finish."
Van Dijk is set to play yet another crucial part in Liverpool's season. Arne Slot's team is heading into the 2025-26 campaign with hopes of defending their Premier League title. Slot has bolstered the squad with the signings of Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, and Hugo Ekitkie.
Of latest recruit, Ekitkie Van Dijk told The Anfield Wrap this week: "It’s good to have him here. I said to him, ‘The hard work starts now.’ He has to work his socks off and be important to us whenever he can. That’s the main thing.”
“Everyone has to work hard, and we’re all in this together; that’s the main thing. We have to fight for everything that’s ahead of us," he added of the incomers.
English (US) ·