Stephen Warnock assesses performance of Virgil van Dijk during Liverpool defeat

Add as preferred source on Google

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock told BBC Radio 5 Live (18/02; 10:00) that he thought Virgil van Dijk looks uneasy against Atletico Madrid.

The Reds went down 1-0 in the first leg of their last 16 clash with Diego Simeone’s men. Saul Niguez netting the game’s only goal after just four minutes.

All of Atletico’s players put a firm shift in for their boss and it perhaps caught some of the Liverpool players off guard.

Warnock felt that the usually reliable Dutchman was particularly out of sorts.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It was a shaky performance and I don’t often say that about him.

“He looked a little uneasy and I have not said that in a long time about him. But he’s only human and he’s allowed to have off days.

“He was fortunate that he got away with other mistakes but he did get punished for the early one and he’ll be disappointed.”

Van Dijk has been a revelation since arriving at Liverpool in 2018. He cost the club £75 million from Southampton and has revived the club’s fortunes.

He helped Liverpool to Champions League glory last season and the Reds should claim their first Premier League title this time around.

The Dutchman is only human and last night was just a rare blip rather than the latest in a series of comical errors.

Paid £180,000-a-week by Liverpool, the 28-year-old will almost certainly bounce back from his Wanda Metropolitano disappointment and will soon be back to his best.

Liverpool conceding so early on did give Atletico the catalyst to implement their game plan to perfection.

The Reds do have a second leg though and if they can keep things tight, they will fancy scoring a goal or two in front of their own supporters.