Moving Target – Virgil Van Dijk

Liverpool completed the first major signing of the January transfer window, acquiring Virgil van Dijk from Southampton for a club-record fee worth a reported £75 million.

Having signed a long-term contract with the Reds, the Dutch international reckons that his style of play will only improve under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp:

“I am vocal, I am obviously pretty tall, I like to command the defensive line and have the ball as well. I like to play out from the back and be comfortable on the ball. Obviously there is a lot of improvement still to come, but I think the manager can help me with that.

Everybody obviously from a Liverpool perspective knows how he is; how lively he is, how he can make players better and give them confidence as well. I think he can make me a better player and I am just looking forward to working with him.

The History

Van Dijk began his youth career at Willem II before moving to Groningen in 2010 at the age of 19.

He made his professional debut against ADO Den Haag in May 2011 and went on to make 66 appearances for Groningen, registering seven goals and five assists, before completing a move to Celtic in June 2013.

The defender spent two seasons in Scotland, winning two league titles, while he was also named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year in both campaigns.

Van Dijk made 115 appearances in total for Celtic, totaling 15 goals and seven assists. In September 2015, he completed a £13 million move to Southampton.

The Dutchman quickly established himself as one of the leading central defenders in the Premier League and finished his time at St Mary’s having played 80 times in all competitions, scoring seven goals.

Van Dijk represented Holland at U19 and U21 levels, making four appearances, before making his senior debut against Kazakhstan in October 2015.

The defender has played 16 times for his country, although he has yet to score.

The Prospects

Having struggled defensively for a number of seasons, Liverpool will hope that Van Dijk’s arrival at Anfield will provide more solidity at the back.

Last season they conceded 42 goals, 16 more than Tottenham Hotspur, who boasted the most resilient defence, while they shipped 50 goals in 2015/16.

This time around, the Merseysiders have been strong at home defensively, conceding just four goals.

But they have shipped 21 goals on their travels – a tally better than just three other sides.

Van Dijk will bring a number of different qualities to the Reds defence, with his presence in the air and ability to produce clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI) vital for Klopp’s rearguard.

Looking into the Opta stats, he was the top-ranked defender for successful headers in his only full season for the Saints in 2015/16 – a total of 158 was at least 36 more than any backline option. In terms of CBI, he placed fourth overall with 379.

His campaign was cut short by injury the following year, with the Dutchman sidelined for the final 16 matches of 2016/17. Yet over those first 22 Gameweeks, Van Dijk excelled in the air – once again, he was the number one defender for successful headers (95) over that period and ranked tenth for CBI, with 211.

The same applies to this season. Handed a first start in Gameweek 7, the six-foot-four centre-half remained on the Saints’ teamsheet for every match up until Gameweek 17 – during that run, both his totals of 59 successful headers and 119 CBI were more than any defender.

Van Dijk’s ball-winning ability will also help improve Liverpool at the back – over these featured time frames, he registered successful tackle rates of 86.8%, 84.8% and 91.7%.

He is also extremely comfortable on the ball and can help initiate attacks from the back with his impressive passing range.

The Dutchman’s ability to switch play with his long cross-field passes could provide a new dimension to the Liverpool attack, potentially getting the ball to wide men Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane with more space to operate in.

Indeed, his long-pass accuracy was the best of any defender in the Premier League last season and far superior to any of the other central defensive options available to Klopp.

One of the biggest failings with the Liverpool defence in recent seasons has been the number of individual errors. But Van Dijk is one of only four centre-backs to play over 60 Premier League matches over the past three seasons without making a single error leading to a goal.

Clearly, then, there are a number of facets to his game that can help the new arrival claim bonus points when Liverpool keep a clean sheet, thanks to his suitability to the Fantasy Premier League Bonus Points System.

The Dutch international’s goal threat is also impressive. He has a strong scoring record throughout his career, with that aerial ability at set-pieces and his powerful long-range shooting, both from direct free-kicks and open-play, making Van Dijk a real threat.

Analysing his stats over the periods mentioned above once again showcases Van Dijk’s talents.

In 2015/16, he sat eighth among defenders for both total attempts (29) and efforts in the box. Over Gameweek 1-22 in 2016/17, he placed tenth for shots (17) and fifth for efforts on target (12), while this season, he came in fifth for shots (11) and fourth for efforts in the area (10) during his run of starts over Gameweek 7-17.

Having started the season priced at 5.5 in FPL, van Dijk is now available for 5.4 –identical to his expected defensive partner, Joel Matip, with the much-maligned Dejan Lovren (5.3) as well as Ragnar Klavan (4.4) likely to offer back-up.

Although the Reds’ full-backs are cheaper, there’s too much uncertainty over the right-back berth, while the imminent return of Alberto Moreno will put pressure on Andrew Robertson’s starting role on the left.

Assessing the upcoming fixtures, home encounters against Man City and Spurs in the next four Gameweeks is likely to deter many from considering the Reds’ rearguard, with Klopp’s key attackers still the main focal point for Fantasy managers.

Nonetheless, it’s worth bearing in mind that since their chastening 4-1 loss to Spurs back in Gameweek 9, Klopp’s side have conceded just nine times in 13 league outings – the third best record in the league.

If Van Dijk’s arrival enhances that resilience further, his points potential at both ends of the pitch could certainly help him emerge as one to watch for our five-man defences, particularly when the schedule smiles in his favour from Gameweek 27 onwards.

Further Reference

Virgil van Dijk Wikipedia
Virgil van Dijk Transfer Markt Page
Virgil van Dijk You Tube Highlights