Virgil van Dijk has already had his say on criticism after Rio Ferdinand’s comments

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The Liverpool defender has been the subject of much debate and discussion this season and Rio Ferdinand is the latest to have his say on Virgil van Dijk’s mistakes.

Jurgen Klopp reflects on Arsenal draw

Virgil van Dijk has already addressed the pundits surrounding his form once already this season as Rio Ferdinand and Jamie Carragher debate the Dutchman.

Ferdinand is the latest to have his say on the debate surrounding who is the superior defender between current Liverpool ace Van Dijk and former Manchester United man Nemanja Vidic.

A former Vidic team-mate, Ferdinand was quick to offer his support and insist that the alleged flaws in the Serbian game have become ‘a bit of a myth’. The debate started after Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher publicly defended Van Dijk after his game against Arsenal on Sunday.

Carragher insisted the Dutchman is still better than Vidic but not everyone is so sure. Four years ago, Van Dijk was a Ballon d’Or runner-up but has enjoyed longer spells since then, after a serious knee injury he has looked well below the standards he set earlier during his stay at Anfield.

He barely covered himself in glory against the Gunners last time out, with Van Dijk having a big part to play in both Arsenal goals. He clears the ball directly in the path of Gabriel Martinelli for the first game, before not dealing with Gabriel Jesus for the second.

Carragher is convinced that Van Dijk simply has an off-season, just as he claims that Vidic and Ferdinand have endured at some point in their respective careers, he adds that the Liverpool stalwart has been the Premier League’s best player over the course of the past four years alongside Kevin De Bruyne.

Ferdinand dissected the Dutchman’s form and explained what Van Dijk needs to do to get back to his usual level.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Who is the better defender – Van Dijk or Vidic? Comments below

Rio Ferdinand has analyzed Virgil van Dijk’s form this season(BT Sport)

“Liverpool are defending… I don’t know what I’m seeing right now! I can’t understand. Van Dijk has arguably been the best defender in the world for the last two years. He looks like a shadow of himself,” Ferdinand said on his YouTube show Vibe with FIVE.

“He lost form, obviously. He said that in a [social media] post after the game that personally and collectively [Liverpool] lost form, not playing as they normally would. And that’s good, that’s right.

“He, Trent [Alexander-Arnold] they just have to go back to basics. The way to get out of a rut like this is to get back to basics.”

Ferdinand went on to address Van Dijk’s recent run of games, adding: “I don’t know why Vidic’s name has been thrown in there. People are hammering Virgil van Dijk about his performances this season, he’s had a bit off-season – which he did, and I think he would admit it.”

For all the round trips, Van Dijk is unlikely to take many on board. The Reds star has already responded to pundits’ backlash this term after Dutch legend Marco van Basten accused him of ‘creating chaos’.

It’s in Van Dijk’s response that we can see what the defender thinks of the analysis of his season so far.

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has been the subject of huge debate this season (CBS Sports)

“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion these days, it is,” he told Ziggo Sport. “[But] Did I set the bar too high? How is it possible? It was never perfect – constant is the right word. We had a lot of success with the team. Footballers, they know better than anyone, have high peaks and deep valleys.

“It’s completely normal that you can’t always play consistently. Whether you have a phase as a club or a player where you look for your level. People shouldn’t forget that.

“It’s normal for people to make mistakes, it’s part of football and it’s very human. It doesn’t matter who gets a platform and is allowed to say what, for things to get big.”

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