Dutch media slam ‘painful’ Virgil van Dijk after a ‘weak’ display in Netherlands win

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Virgil van Dijk has become the scapegoat of the Netherlands national team despite recording a 4-0 win over Malta.

The Reds captain is under pressure at Anfield this season, his defensive unit has conceded nine goals throughout the opening seven league matches – they had conceded only two at this stage last term.

While van Dijk is operating in a new-look backline with two new starting full-backs, those summer additions have struggled to hit the ground running thus far.

Van Dijk has looked composed for the most part, but the underwhelming efforts of centre-back partner Ibrahima Konate are starting to affect his performances.

And it appears this trend has continued into international duty as the national media in his native Netherlands have not held back when reviewing his display in World Cup qualifying.

Virgil van Dijk was the worst performer for the Netherlands

Voetbalzone awarded van Dijk a 4/10 match rating, the lowest in the squad, while Reds teammates Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo shared the highest rating with 7/10 – Gakpo scored twice and provided an assist to Tijjani Reijnders.

Voetbal Primeur followed with a 4.5/10 match rating, writing: “With a dramatic back pass, he gave Malta a golden opportunity to open the scoring after two minutes. It fizzled out, but the nonchalance was clearly gone. Van Dijk continued to look weak afterward and, to top it all off, received a yellow card.”

Following Liverpool’s third consecutive defeat across all competitions in the 2-1 loss against Chelsea, it has become clear now more than ever that van Dijk is one of the most important players at Anfield, but he is now, indeed, suffering a downturn in form.

Algemeen Dagblad gave van Dijk a slightly higher rating of 5/10, but the review was equally as damning as the rest: “The captain had a lucky escape in the opening stages when his back pass fell not to Verbruggen but to striker Mbong. His shot went wide, but it was painful that the Dutch captain had such a lighthearted moment in a team that is all too often accused of lacking urgency in matches.

“After an hour, Van Dijk was shown a yellow card, although referee Duje Strukan’s reaction was somewhat excessive. Van Dijk is now on edge, which is frustrating with an away game against Poland still on the agenda.”

The 34-year-old will have an opportunity to overturn his fortunes when his nation faces Finland in the final World Cup qualifier of the October international break on Sunday.

However, the player whom Mohamed Salah claims will win Liverpool trophies this season has gone missing in recent weeks. Van Dijk must rediscover his form soon, with a monumental clash against Manchester United up next when club football resumes.

Virgil van Dijk reflects on difficult clash against Malta

It is, by all accounts, strange to see such a strong reaction to an individual performance when the Netherlands recorded a resounding victory against Malta.

Nevertheless, it appears the Dutch media hold their national team to a certain standard, and van Dijk fell far below the expectations on Thursday evening.

Speaking to Voetbal International after the match, van Dijk admitted it is difficult for the Netherlands to maintain their standards even when facing weaker opposition.

“I think we shouldn’t underestimate how difficult it is to maintain tempo in the middle of the pitch. We get sloppy, then we pull away in the second half and win—simple, really.

“The guys in the studio know how difficult it is. You did your duty. We started well, but after that, things got more difficult. We shouldn’t underestimate how difficult it is to play polished football through the middle. We try, but you have to go around them. Then, especially in the first half, it’s too slow.”