21 hours ago
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Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk enactment successful different fantabulous show to frustrate Manchester City striker Erling Haaland connected Sunday.
The 2-0 win moved Liverpool 9 points wide astatine the apical - and 11 points supra four-time-in-a-row champions City.
It led ex-Reds defender Jamie Carragher to declare connected societal media, external that Van Dijk is "the champion centre-back we've ever seen successful the Premier League".
"I ever said it was John Terry earlier Van Dijk came along," helium continued.
"All large defenders of the past had attackers who caused them problems, but who ever causes Van Dijk any?
"He's conscionable played against [Real Madrid's Kylian] Mbappe and Haaland successful the past 4 days and played them with specified easiness helium could've played with a cigar.
"Please halt this silly statement astir the champion centre-back, it's not adjacent close."
Netherlands defender Van Dijk, 33, has much than justified the world-record £75m Liverpool paid Southampton to motion him successful 2018 - helping the Reds to triumph the Premier League and Champions League title.
The erstwhile Celtic subordinate has won 148 of his 210 Premier League games for Liverpool, with his 70.5% triumph ratio - of centre-backs - lone down Manchester City defender John Stones and ex-Manchester United subordinate Nemanja Vidic.
Only Vidic, Arsenal fable Tony Adams and Chelsea icon Terry person a higher cleanable expanse percent than Van Dijk's 43% astatine Liverpool (of players with 200 oregon much starts).
Van Dijk has won a higher percent of duels and aerial duels than immoderate different Premier League centre-back since 2006-07 (excluding those who person not been progressive successful many).
Of centre-backs to person played 3,500 minutes oregon much since January 2018, Van Dijk has been dribbled past little often per 90 minutes than anyone else. On mean a subordinate gets past him erstwhile each 7 games (it has lone happened 29 times).
Former Blackburn striker Chris Sutton, speaking connected BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, said: "[Ex-Leeds and Manchester United player] Rio Ferdinand was a somewhat antithetic subordinate to Terry.
"Terry was a phenomenal defender. Tony Adams was a superb leader.
"I get the Van Dijk outcry arsenic well. He has perfectly everything. People would look astatine Ferdinand's trophy haul and accidental 'well it has to beryllium him'.
"Currently yeah, I deliberation helium is - that's maine benignant of copping retired a spot but John Terry was phenomenal arsenic good though truthful tin we person a associated 3 - Terry, Ferdinand and Van Dijk?"
Ex-Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given added it is "all astir antithetic opinions".
"Ferdinand, Terry, Vidic, Jonathan Woodgate successful his premier earlier helium went to Real Madrid, Colin Hendry astatine Blackburn, John Stones get a notation successful his prime?"
And helium added "what a player" Paul McGrath was.
We privation you to fertile these 10 iconic Premier League centre-backs. There were truthful galore prime ones to take from that immoderate legends had to miss the cut.
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