In an extract from a new book, the Liverpool star discusses the art of defending, how it’s changed and how to put off opponents
Even a player lauded as the complete modern centre-half appreciates all aspects of life in the position, whether that be the aesthetic side of the game or the more agricultural. Virgil van Dijk and last-gasp, back-to-the-wall defending don’t seem obvious bedfellows, but he rejects the notion that his modern brethren don’t embrace it.
“I think it happens to us quite a lot,” he says. “Look at the 2019 Champions League final. We can be a goal up and the opponent is trying to do everything possible to try and win the game. We had our backs against the wall in Madrid against Tottenham and yes, it is a different situation to what we normally have, because yes, we are usually attacking and pressing forward, but there are times when we have to drop and we have to organise, and you must take joy in that part of the game.
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