Following Liverpool’s disheartening 2-1 defeat to Manchester United, captain Virgil van Dijk has been accused of poor leadership and unfairly targeting teammate Milos Kerkez.
Former Premier League midfielder Craig Burley leveled the criticism on ESPN FC, asserting the Dutchman’s on-field behaviour only exacerbated the pressure on the struggling young full-back.
Burley stated the captain’s reaction to a deflected clearance was unacceptable: “Virgil van Dijk, to me, is not leading at the moment. He’s blaming.” He added that seeing Van Dijk gesture at the player “just don’t think that helps the situation.”
The match’s context revealed United had deliberately targeted Liverpool’s flanks, with defender Matthijs de Ligt admitting: “We knew that Liverpool had weaknesses, and that’s their full-backs.”
Despite the criticism, Van Dijk spoke of the team’s frustrations after the loss: “I think we conceded a very sloppy second goal… if you concede a second goal like that, that is the disappointing part.” The skipper also urged the club and fans to “stick together” in the aftermath.