Topic: Virgil Van Dijk (Cpt)

[free_at_last]

Spent many a day playing all of those out on the green near our house.........good times

Green??? You were lucky. We had to play 3 and in in the bus shelter.

[Butter Keks]

Still feels weird not being arsed about late corner kicks to the opposition or people getting in down the flanks because chances are VVD is heading the fucker away.

[RobbieRedman]

Got away with a couple of poor clearances today, thank fuck that Mounie isn't a footballer

[Funky_Gibbons]

Thought he made a couple of poor decisions today, the mistake which lead to the Mounie chance and in the first half he rolled the ball to a Huddersfield player for a throw in and they quickly threw the ball into the area he should have been. Fortunately Lovren got across to cover but that was naive.

[newterp]

Thought he made a couple of poor decisions today, the mistake which lead to the Mounie chance and in the first half he rolled the ball to a Huddersfield player for a throw in and they quickly threw the ball into the area he should have been. Fortunately Lovren got across to cover but that was naive.

There were points where he definitely looked like he was not able to go full speed which to me indicates that the ribs are still causing him problems. I’m hoping we could rest him for the midweek game start Trent and move Gomez back to middle.

[Funky_Gibbons]

There were points where he definitely looked like he was not able to go full speed which to me indicates that the ribs are still causing him problems. I’m hoping we could rest him for the midweek game start Trent and move Gomez back to middle.

To be fair, I think Gomez has outperformed VVD this season even before the rib injury.

At the minute VVD is similar to the team, underperforming but getting results. The good thing is he’s a class act and will get better so just think how good our defence will be then. Agree he might get a rest midweek though.

[TepidT2O]

To be fair, I think Gomez has outperformed VVD this season even before the rib injury.

At the minute VVD is similar to the team, underperforming but getting results. The good thing is he’s a class act and will get better so just think how good our defence will be then. Agree he might get a rest midweek though.

I don’t think it’s that simple....

They key thing with VVD is when crosses come into our box...

About 90% are headed away by him... he has this ability to somehow stretch his kneck beyond the attacker and get it away...

Ignore the rest of his game... this is the huge reason why we are so much better with him playing, we have been so vulnerable to the second ball.. with Virgil there seldom is a second ball.. 

The rest is just a bonus..

[Crouch Potato]

Surprised we didn't rest VVD tonight. If he has got broken/cracked ribs I doubt playing games is good for helping them heal, especially when the opposition know about the problem, meaning they can barge into him as much as possible.

[hesbighesred]

The rest is just a bonus..

You're not wrong but that 'rest' is at high-level hedge-fund manager levels of bonus. He's beauty and the beast in one player. Amazing.

[TepidT2O]

You're not wrong but that 'rest' is at high-level hedge-fund manager levels of bonus. He's beauty and the beast in one player. Amazing.

Yes you’re right there....
But the heading it out of the box bit... that’s what we didn’t have elsewhere.

[TepidT2O]

Surprised we didn't rest VVD tonight. If he has got broken/cracked ribs I doubt playing games is good for helping them heal, especially when the opposition know about the problem, meaning they can barge into him as much as possible.

Has someone done a particularly foul and lingering shit in your living room today?

[El Lobo]

Has someone done a particularly foul and lingering shit in your living room today?

Hopefully

[Funky_Gibbons]

I don’t think it’s that simple....

They key thing with VVD is when crosses come into our box...

About 90% are headed away by him... he has this ability to somehow stretch his kneck beyond the attacker and get it away...

Ignore the rest of his game... this is the huge reason why we are so much better with him playing, we have been so vulnerable to the second ball.. with Virgil there seldom is a second ball.. 

The rest is just a bonus..

I’m not sure about that, last season VVD was winning 5.6 aerial duals per game, our next best was Lovren on 3.6. This season VVD is on 3.6 and Lovren is 3.5.

Even today that big Mounie chance was from VVD misreading a cross (although not an aerial dual). I think he’s at 80% at the moment but we know there’s another 20% to come.

[Crouch Potato]

Has someone done a particularly foul and lingering shit in your living room today?

Nope, I'm just a miserable sod.

[Crouch Potato]

Some people are glass half empty people, I'm a glass nine tenths empty person.  [emoji39]

[killer-heels]

He is just, amazing.

If he is hurt though then he should get a nice night off against Red Star.

[Coolie High]

Thought he made a couple of poor decisions today, the mistake which lead to the Mounie chance and in the first half he rolled the ball to a Huddersfield player for a throw in and they quickly threw the ball into the area he should have been. Fortunately Lovren got across to cover but that was naive.

Agree with you about Gomez, but I think that was more Lovren today, VVD was pretty much his usual nonchalant imperious self don’t get the feeling his underperforming.

[Funky_Gibbons]

Agree with you about Gomez, but I think that was more Lovren today, VVD was pretty much his usual nonchalant imperious self don’t get the feeling his underperforming.

What was more Lovren?

[deFacto please, you bastards]

What did Lovren do wrong?  Virgil totally missed the ball that led to their biggest chance in the game, if Lvoren hadn't gotten a touch to it at all, then...

[Coolie High]

What was more Lovren?

The shaky moments I can remember.

[classycarra]

The shaky moments I can remember.

Moments, plural?

He was caught on the ball, after Allison played a silly ball to him. Don't remember another

[Coolie High]

Moments, plural?

He was caught on the ball, after Allison played a silly ball to him. Don't remember another

He slid to the ground near the box, the opponent sidestepped and proceeded to do little with it near our 6 yard box, and he didn’t do much better than Van Djik in his one bad moment in the game, hardly anything he did well altogether but VVD near flawless again.

[M7 Heckler]

Moments, plural?

He was caught on the ball, after Allison played a silly ball to him. Don't remember another

Stood and watched a ball sail over his head while that big oaf up front stood a yard off him and looped an easy chance towards goal

Also failed on a few aerial duals against the same big oaf, not necessarily mistakes, but our two better CBs seem to compete well for similar balls, vvd and Gomez both look to grapple with their man a lot better in the build up.

[bradders1011]

Really didn't like how he, on more than one occasion, did a cushioned header into space about 30 yards from our goal.

I get that normally it'd be there for one of our midfield to pick up and either turn or play it wide, but today it seemed to consistently bounce to a Huddersfield player or put one of our lads in danger.

That's my only gripe in 9 months though and he's otherwise as perfect as a Renaissance marble statue, so can't complain really.

[Dench57]

Our best player by some distance in my opinion, at least this season. Every time the ball comes near our box you just wait for the commentater "and away by Van Dijk". He's fucking everywhere.

[Funky_Gibbons]

The shaky moments I can remember.

Nah, VVD had an untidy match, blaming on Lovren or saying he was worse is weak.

VVD had a lot more time to react to the cross that created the Mounie chance, once he missed it, Lovren had milliseconds to react. VVD also gave the ball away a few times which lead to dangerous counter attacks, one right towards the end.

I thought Lovren had a very good match, won some really important headers and blocked a couple of shots which could have caused Alisson some trouble, especially the one that hit the post.

[jooneyisdagod]

I’m not sure about that, last season VVD was winning 5.6 aerial duals per game, our next best was Lovren on 3.6. This season VVD is on 3.6 and Lovren is 3.5.

Even today that big Mounie chance was from VVD misreading a cross (although not an aerial dual). I think he’s at 80% at the moment but we know there’s another 20% to come.

That's because teams almost seem to be targeting the defender on the other side of VVD. No one bothers to even go up against him these days.

[him_15]

That looks-like-an-injury moment scared the hell out of me.

[slaphead]

Our best player by some distance in my opinion, at least this season. Every time the ball comes near our box you just wait for the commentater "and away by Van Dijk". He's fucking everywhere.

I agree with that. The feeling that we can see games out has only been there since he signed. He's just class. If I could pick just 1 player to be fit and play every game all season it would be Van Dijk all day long. He stays fit, we go close

[CHOPPER]

The big beautiful bastard. Hark the 75 mill questions on his price tag from those skeptical and jealous from further afield teams. This lad has doubled his price tag and trebled our defensive stock in 10 months. Worth every penny, you big beautiful bastard.

[JonnyCigarettes®]

[afc tukrish]

Still awaiting a new line of "Come On You Fucking Redmen" dishware...

[jooneyisdagod]

There are Rolls Royce defenders and then there is this guy. He's something else entirely. He's so good that teams are trying to target the other defender, usually Joe Gomez, who eats up forwards for a laugh. And I think we will be seeing the sight of him as captain more and more. 

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[andy07]

There are Rolls Royce defenders and then there is this guy. He's something else entirely. He's so good that teams are trying to target the other defender, usually Joe Gomez, who eats up forwards for a laugh. And I think we will be seeing the sight of him as captain more and more. 

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Indeed.  After we went 3-0 up I started focussing on individual players.  He is an absolute monster.  Most noticable was how he was running the show.  Can see him having the captain’s armband for good next season.

[MNAA]

A glimpse into the future ... Virgil as our captain. Love it ... He would be excellent without a doubt

[MNAA]

The big beautiful bastard. Hark the 75 mill questions on his price tag from those skeptical and jealous from further afield teams. This lad has doubled his price tag and trebled our defensive stock in 10 months. Worth every penny, you big beautiful bastard.

[clinical]

This guy is so good isn't he. He's nearly as good as Gomez.

[paulrazor]

there was a high ball in the second half he chested away from an opponent near the half way line, would love to see a gif of it

[stevied]

A monster of a player thats making Joe into a much better player , they could turn out to be a legendary partnership over the next few years

[Yiannis]

there was a high ball in the second half he chested away from an opponent near the half way line, would love to see a gif of it

Ah I think it must have been the moment I was looking towards the other game of our group and turned around to ours when I heard the Spanish commentator saying : 'Van Dijk. Imperial.'