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Deceptively quick

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juniormember

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I was listening to Japanese commentary during the game today and they were saying that Yoshida of Southampton told them that VVD was the fastest at sprinting amongst the Southampton players.
I thought he was very quick when he caught up with and successfuly tackled Mane last season, and we hardly ever see him sprint, but I didn't think he'd be quicker than someone like Bertrand. Wow.

He looked pretty damn majestic today too. After all the shit defenders we've been buying post Agger, so glad we managed to get him.
 
He was sound. I'd just like to see him start muscling in when it comes to free kicks near the area - he has a hell of a shot on him.
 
we have a leader.
and a good defender.

hopefully, a hyypia with pace ... klopp didn't inherit a great backline unfortunately, but this is a step in the right direction to building one.
 
He was sound. I'd just like to see him start muscling in when it comes to free kicks near the area - he has a hell of a shot on him.
I suspect that he's not doing so simply because he's doing his usual job plus marshaling the back line, so if they countered following a free kick we'd be down a CB & have the others running around like headless chickens again.

I'd like to think VVD will be sitting with Matip & showing him what he should have done when he had that brainfart in the first half which led to him screaming at Matip like he was a schoolchild needing discipline.
 
Part of me is worried that he looks better than he is, simply because playing next to Matip or Lovren would make anyone look good.

Then I remember that's not how defending and CB partnerships work, so he's actually probably even better than he looks. Be great when we bring in a CB partner to play with him who is top tier.

But he seems to have it all; he's huge, good in the air, calm in possession, decent technique, vocal, and is quick around the pitch. We haven't had a top quality CB since Carragher left, but now we do.
 
When the camera was on him after the match, my 2 year old started pointing and shouting at the TV 'Hulk, Hulk it's the Incredible Hulk'
 
For someone who was supposed to be the pantomime villain and walking into a hostile atmosphere Virgil van Dijk spent an awful lot of time smiling. The boos were loud and the language colourful on occasions yet Van Dijk could hardly have looked more comfortable as he strolled his way through his first return to Southampton since an acrimonious transfer that was far more problematic than anything he came up against on the pitch here.
A fifth appearance for Liverpool in all competitions delivered a first clean sheet and a near faultless performance from the world’s most expensive defender, who was a model of composure throughout and never remotely affected by the abuse that rained down from the stands. If anything, Van Dijk played as if he was rather enjoying the stick, so much so that he could be seen laughing at the first sound of the boos that greeted his every touch.
That ill-feeling at St Mary’s goes back to the start of the summer, when Southampton reported Liverpool to the Premier League for an alleged illegal approach. Liverpool later released a statement, apologising to Southampton for any “misunderstanding” regarding Van Dijk and confirming they had ended their interest in the player. Yet the issue was never likely to go away and a couple of months later Van Dijk submitted a transfer request, only to be told he was staying put.
Van Dijk eventually got his wish, when Liverpool parted with £75m on the eve of the January window, and it has been a lively start to his Anfield career, featuring a debut goal against Everton, back-to-back defeats against Swansea and West Brom, and that injury-time penalty he conceded against Tottenham a week ago. This was an occasion, however, when he was on cruise control as he looked totally at ease in a Liverpool shirt.
“He did really well and dealt with the situation fantastically,” Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool’s manager, said. “We had a little chat before the game, asking him what he thought. I didn’t want to make him nervous but obviously he wasn’t. The crowd is there to make life difficult for the opponent but it wasn’t too difficult for him.”
The flak was entirely predictable, yet Van Dijk never looked flustered and there was a smile on his face as he headed a ball back to Loris Karius early on. The grin was even wider about 10 seconds later when Mohamed Salah capitalised on a poor mistake by Wesley Hoedt to set up the opening goal for Roberto Firmino after Karius had fed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, one of five former Southampton players in the Liverpool squad. “Born to play for Southampton, then be sold to Liverpool,” read a banner held up by a young home supporter. Although Liverpool looked vulnerable defensively at times in the first half and were indebted to Karius for making a couple of decent saves, Van Dijk gave the impression he was in complete control. Joel Matip, on the other hand, was nothing like as convincing in that opening 45 minutes and it still feels as though Liverpool have work to do in that department when it comes to the summer transfer window.
The real problems at the back here were in the centre of the Southampton defence. Hoedt had already made an error before the mix-up that prefaced the first goal and when Firmino’s backheel carved Southampton wide open for Salah to score a second it was hard to see a way back for a beleaguered home team. Stood just inside the Southampton half when Salah registered his 22nd goal of the season, Van Dijk shrugged his shoulders.
In truth it felt too easy for the 26-year-old for much of the afternoon and when he galloped forward on the left with 15 minutes remaining, trying to slip the ball through the legs of Cedric, it was tempting to wonder whether he had got bored at the other end of the pitch. By that stage the home supporters were far more annoyed with Mauricio Pellegrino, the Southampton manager, for his substitutions than anything their former central defender was doing.
 
What's this 'one-legged' business? Did I miss something good?

Ross claims his leg will fall off due to the injury he's had, not being fit and that we've bought a player for 75 mill that has a 50/50 chance of playing at his best level again.
 
Ross claims his leg will fall off due to the injury he's had, not being fit and that we've bought a player for 75 mill that has a 50/50 chance of playing at his best level again.

It's a good job there's nothing stupid you've ever said about a player, otherwise Ross could have a fucking field day responding to this.
 
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