How GOOD is Van Dijk ACTUALLY? • Tactical Analysis

[@timmasters1195]

Also, as someone who grew up watching 90s football, i promise you Van Dijk would have owned the league without breaking a sweat, due to the lower quality.

[@lancerebo952]

Van Dijk rarely faces attackers like the legends of the past - Ronaldo (original one), Ronaldinho, or even Henry. But saying a defender can't be the greatest because of the era is weak. Football's totally different now. The game's faster, players are smarter, and everyone's more athletic. Teams are coached better, academies are top-notch. Comparing today's players to 20 years ago? No contest. Here's the thing about Van Dijk: He stands out even in this era of great players and strong teams. He's got everything - pure strength, speed, ball control, heading, and passing. A complete package with elite athleticism that shines even now. Think of Van Dijk like a LeBron James or Calvin Johnson of football. They dominate physically, setting a new standard for their sport. Just like Henry for his era, or Maldini and Desailly, Van Dijk defines his generation. Who's the absolute greatest defender? It's tough. You gotta consider achievements, era difficulty, and overall skill. But one thing's for sure: Van Dijk deserves a spot in the "greatest ever" conversation.

[@CairoJames9]

Salut

[@beejj6190]

The one thing i don't like about this great player? He loves to shove an opponent before getting near the ball (how he gets away with it I don't know).

[@sm0iks698]

@@beejj6190 a lot of players don't really get close to cb's like they do to van dijk. its not illegal its just pure strength and shoulder to shoulder contact. Others dive in and VVD doesn't , that's why you see players try and take him on and he uses his strength to avert the danger

[@sjolson68]

Not only this, well said completely, but to say he's not rated as a ball-playing CB is comical as ALL of the OTHER CBs are the ones who launch forward - do you think this is because he's not capable or because the staff have decided he should be the one holding the fort and let Matip/Gomez/Konate/Quansah carry forward.

[@Cartierian]

Well said

[@sskmanentsa5326]

I still think you're underrating him. The chaos that went down at Liverpool when he went down is something I've never seen before, even with an attacking player. The amount of mistakes he fixes for that whole backline along is incredible, with/without Alisson. We've seen him go up vs the best sides' players, and do incredibly well. I don't think that he specifically needs another trophy since those are team accomplishments, I mean if Karius does not have a concussion and Trent does not sleep everytime he faces Vini, he'd have 3 UCL by now. The Dutch side has not been elite since 2014 and we cannot blame him for that too, even if his team has a strong Euros, unless he completely shows us something new in his game, I don't think he can look any better than he is now.

[@theredeemer4704]

He is a united fan bro, although I like his content but there will surely be some bias

[@CairoJames9]

You just said everything bro...well done

[@Nabuwetunabuwetuissisikuyai]

He just said considering him an all time goat is a disregard to d defenders b4 him, if u place him in d 90s or early 2000s he may not fair d same bd d reason he looks elite is bcuz of d era his playing in even across europe there's not as many attacking talents as it used to, if van dijk is struggling against dis madrid side or a napoli side then u can see d contrast in talent

[@theredeemer4704]

@@Nabuwetunabuwetuissisikuyai did you ever saw matches in 90s or early 2000s. The games were so open & lots of spaces to work around the pitch, earlier it was more about the physicality now the game is lot more tactical. If there is any minor mistake in the coordination of a team they get punished, that's how good the game has become tactically. Previously the game was rough & the challenges that the defenders made at that time will give them a 3 match ban in this era. VVD could have easily adjusted himself in that era as well because he has everything from pace, composure, strength, ball playing in every aspect he is an elite footballer. But I don't see the likes of Vidic, Terry or campbell playing more than15 games in this era, every 2nd match they will receive a card.

[@sskmanentsa5326]

@@Nabuwetunabuwetuissisikuyai He has faced elite talent and did well. VVD's defensive support has not been that elite. Usually with the best CBs of all time, they usually have partners that help them in numerous ways, Virgil does not have that, his impact on an individual defense has been shown on numerous side, none of them have had all time talent. If he plays at a much bigger club, obviously he'd look way better because it'd be easier, like it was for those other dudes. Other than Silva, can you name any CB arguably better than him?

[@ibbyz999]

He is the most complete defender of all time. Not necessarily the best but if you look at every aspect of his game, he is good if not very good. He is big, strong, quick, amazing in the air, reads the game very well, switched on, very good on the ball, rarely gives the ball away and composed. He's probably the best long range passing defender I've seen. And to top it off he's a leader. Someone who doesn't shirk responsibility and demands the best of others... Like I said probably the most complete centre back ever.

[@Mushroomy509]

Most complete in the EPL history for sure

[@jvr6272]

Lisandro Martinez is the cleanest long range passer as a center back

[@racksua3967]

In this generation it’s a joke, he is the most composed dominating defender of all time, his tackling isn’t something considered as his flaw due to the fact that flair wingers like Henry, romario, all those that you mentioned are leaving the modern game. Van dijk’s a convincing alias for best defender of all time because he doesn’t need to tackle to dominate like a beckenbeuer or maldini, he is the modern representation of THAT defender who can impose highest difficulty against any attacker through football IQ and awareness which is much more crucial in football to win games consistently and only lose 1 game at anfield in the premier league in his entire career

[@nananou1687]

Of all time? Lol that is a bit too much.

[@nananou1687]

So much for awareness when he gets dunked on by Real Madrid. VVD is a fine defender, but the most composed defender of all time, in an absolute sense, would probably be someone like Zanetti, or Cannavaro. VVD, is a CB freak, but you dont know what composed means if you havent seen them. Also, they are just as big winners, if not bigger winners.

[@racksua3967]

@@nananou1687 absolutely agree with how they have won more with what they have done cannavaro won a bloody ballon dor and zanetti was brilliant but I’m sure if we were to pick out few odd games from either team you could say when he lost 6-2 to Barcelona and made many mistakes in other games but just bare in mind that van dijk just recovered from an acl injury, the worst in football, came back to almost win the quadruple, got ‘dunked on by Madrid’ sounding like he was destroyed when conceding the goal and now talks about the treble again. His influence is greater than both zanetti and cannavaro because just tell me who was playing along side them? Players of equal-calibre whilst van dijk is playing along side matip, konate, Gomez and doing it in the best league itw. And trust me when you talk about composure your going with vvd anyday haha. This guy oozes imposing dominance and reliance when coming up against the best, not only skill wise but tactical wise through the new form of premier league tactical attacking in the modern era.

[@racksua3967]

@@nananou1687 it’s funny how you ruin his ‘awareness’ for one game when you could give a ratio of about 30:1 on how good games he has compared to bad.

[@Dilllll26]

@@racksua3967”almost win the quadruple” “talks of a treble” bro won the domestic cup double and isn’t even eligible for the proper treble this season, give it a rest lol

[@tommyboy6280]

Mbappe, Neymar, Ronaldo, Messi, Suarez, Aguero, Lewondowski. I think Van Djik Resume is more than impressive. Especially with Mbappe I think he has proved that ur claim that he can’t defend quick and agile attackers is incorrect.

[@lancerebo952]

Van Dijk rarely faces attackers like the legends of the past - Ronaldo (original one), Ronaldinho, or even Henry. But saying a defender can't be the greatest because of the era is weak. Football's totally different now. The game's faster, players are smarter, and everyone's more athletic. Teams are coached better, academies are top-notch. Comparing today's players to 20 years ago? No contest. Here's the thing about Van Dijk: He stands out even in this era of great players and strong teams. He's got everything - pure strength, speed, ball control, heading, and passing. A complete package with elite athleticism that shines even now. Think of Van Dijk like a LeBron James or Calvin Johnson of football. They dominate physically, setting a new standard for their sport. Just like Henry for his era, or Maldini and Desailly, Van Dijk defines his generation. Who's the absolute greatest defender? It's tough. You gotta consider achievements, era difficulty, and overall skill. But one thing's for sure: Van Dijk deserves a spot in the "greatest ever" conversation.

[@rayhaninho_3183]

@@lancerebo952right on point

[@Foxtrot6624]

Mbappe and Neymar both got pocketed by Axel Tuanzebe. Means NOTHING

[@amanikibola156]

This is awesome we need more of current and retired legends. I would like one of Gary Neville lol. I know people don't rate him but I'm curious to know your views.

[@cybermanne]

Anyone who doesn't rate Gary Neville has fallen for his own downplaying of his carreer or some social media agendas. He was mint!

[@Sealionborn]

@@erikpuka2627 Neville's crosses were hilarious because they didn't look like much half the time -- certainly not when contrasted with Becks on that right wing -- but they were usually pinpoint accurate.

[@Azkabazz]

Different game now I get that, but difference with defenders like Rio is that back then, there would be a lot of one v ones against elite strikers. Pure chaos and less structured. Ability wise I think Rio could adapt and thrive amongst the best in this era, I don't think many of the modern cbs could in his. Vvd is exceptional and think he could, but I don't think he would look as good imo Stam for me was the best fwiw. Would be considered the best if he stayed in the prem longer

[@nananou1687]

Vidic, Terry, VVD, Rio, Adams. I think these are the top 5 CBs of PL era. The order can change based on your suitability

[@samserwadda253]

Carvalho and jaap stam mate.

[@ezekielphiri2607]

@nananou1687 I don't know man, Vidic on the ball was meh..

[@augustusfarmer2313]

VVD has pocketed some of the best attackers of this generation. He once went an entire season without getting dribbled past. Even though he didn’t win, it’s widely recognized that he deserved that Ballon d’Or over Messi. The only criticisms that hold water are his shooting (which doesn’t truly matter, he’s a defender) and his off-ball movement in possession. His size, speed, vision, technique, and reading of the game are superb. If Baresi locked up a 2v1 (like Virgil’s done multiple times) it would be in every highlight video he has. VVD is the best we’ve seen in my lifetime (I’ve watched Puyol, Vidic, Ramos, Thiago Silva, Terry, Bonucci, Hummels, Pique, Chiellini, Ferdinand) VVD definitely takes the cake. Nobody can do the things that Virgil does. He’s a stopper and a sweeper all in one. There are very few CB’s in the history of the game that are worthy of being mentioned with him. He doesn’t have the trophy cabinet of a Sergio Ramos, but he also wasn’t always surrounded by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi, Iniesta, Casillas, etc. Trophies is a stupid argument.

[@indianbossman606]

Look at rival fans doing everything possible to discredit van Dijk, he’s one of the greats oat deal with it

[@CodPatrol]

There’s no reason to discredit after the season he just had 😂 don’t cry just cause he’s not good anymore

[@Conker66]

Great video. Finally… you analyze a legend. Been waiting for a video like this. Excellent content. Would love a video on Beckenbauer, Baresi, Maldini, Nesta, and Terry just to name few. In due time, hopefully.

[@yxmarx121]

Stones's ball-carrying is skewed because he played in midfield a lot more lately. As a liverpool fan, I can agree that VVD is maybe in the top of all time GOATS (8,9 or 10), but currently he has to be top 2 at least if not 1st place.

[@nananou1687]

Currently, I think VVD, Dias and Varane are the only elite CBs by name. Dias goes unnoticed, Varane is always disappointed by who he is accompanied by at Man United. VVD is , rn, the best imo. Not a liverpool fan

[@MrNilsiboy94]

@@nananou1687 Varane lmao Im a Liverpool fan and Arsenal fans have become insanely big headed but they're not wrong about the class of Saliba/Gabriel who are clear of Varane

[@kieran9882]

I think you’re underrating him

[@kieran9882]

@@erikpuka2627 What team do you support?

[@kieran9882]

@@erikpuka2627 Fair enough. I think even the best names in the business, who need to be the best at evaluating players, disagree with each other on who’s better than who

[@37th_user]

​@@erikpuka2627can you explain? I'll give it konate is more nimble/explosive in duels and the better tackler. Even a ballsy dribbler if you value that in a centre half. But vvd is better in possession, in the air, wins the physical duels, & CLEARS in positioning. Hardly anyone is on level with van dijk in those areas, much less konate. And that's all without mentioning the fitness issues. I love how he plays, crazy potential, but he's got a lot to work on. I just feel that you don't prefer van dijks approach, whereas konate goes into challenges head-on.

[@37th_user]

​@@erikpuka2627i also don't see where he overrated him. Hes holding vvd to the standards of passarella and players who discovered fire. I'm not even exaggerating when i say those guys would likely be full time mids today. With that logic, the only centre half to compete with them is maldini, who dominated 30 years ago as a part time fullback. Just insanely bias from Pythagoras imo, not a rational critique

[@kieran9882]

@@37th_user Fully agree! VVD and Konate have the traditional Stopper/Cover partnership, like Vidic/Ferdinand. VVD will always be the covering defender due to his pace, Size and intelligence etc it’s not often anyone gets past him. As the last line of defence he’s the perfect player

[@theredeemer4704]

Terry, Ferdinand rarely played in a high line with attacking fullbacks, they played in a era when it was more about physicality then tactics. In this era the way top teams play with so much tactics involved it would have been difficult for them to play just like you don't see VVD doing good against Henry I don't see the other retired defenders performing in this era. The way how coordinated the team presses & stops the forward pass I also don't see any of the retired defenders making a huge number of dribbles without making mistakes. Football has changed a lot now it is more about the team formations & tactics, I can remember every ball playing defender in the 90s would just dribble past everyone & now it can't be done coz of how good the press is from teams. VVD is definitely one of the greatest defenders of all time.

[@chaupiamarighambi5859]

0.05 slide tackles per 90?? 😂 Thats mad, that's a tackle every 20 games or so

[@Sealionborn]

Maldini would be proud for sure.

[@santanafarraj276]

​@@Sealionborn you clearly haven't seen maldini play😭 where did u guys get that from. Have u watched maldini?

[@santanafarraj276]

​@@Sealionborn you clearly haven't seen maldini play😭 where did u guys get that from. Have u watched maldini?

[@Sealionborn]

@@santanafarraj276 Maldini famously said that every time he makes a slide tackle it means he's made a mistake, that is what I'm referring to.

[@santanafarraj276]

@@Sealionborn i really dont know where this quote came from. I have never seen the interview of him saying it. But even if it's true maldini tackles alot he puts his body on the line. Vvd doesn't. In the 1998 world cup he had the fourth most tackles. What the quote means is he is trying to read where the pass is going before and than he will try to to either close down, not give the opponent time on the ball. But ofc you can't always read what the opponents will do. And everything maldini has the chanse to go the the ground he does. Just watch some maldini games and you will see what I'm talking about. Vvd have made alot of errors for not baisacly engaging in the play. He is a top defender of all time. But people are now talking like he sits on the same table as maldini baresi Beckenbauer Moore Figueroa Kohler etc. He still haven't even performed for his country. And he didn't have good defending vs England

[@yandhi5016]

If Van Dijk is max an 85 in this system, what rating would Beckenbauer or Maldini be? 90? In general it feels kinda low tbh. Would Messi, Pelé, etc. be 95-100?

[@santanafarraj276]

You know he have a side right. I know baresi is ranked 85. Maldini is actually low ranked but it's cuz of his position and the way he plays attacking wise cuz fullback are supposed to go up and down. Just from a defensive perspective he is better. I know r9 have 85 I think si stefano 86. So getting over 90 is probably too difficult for any player

[@pj2562]

Has anyone who is commenting on van dijk being the best ever centre-back ever watched footage of Beckenbauer, Scirea, Passarella, Sammer, Baresi et al.? Seems like recency bias. From my limited sample, Van Dijk (sweeper/cover) and Jaap Stam (stopper) are the best defenders I have seen, but that does not make them automatically the “greatest of all time”; because I can only say that from 1997 onwards. I wasn’t alive to see others before that. I mostly watch English football. So saying someone is the “best I have seen” is quite useless because the sample size is always restricted when it is eye-witness account. The best we can do to judge fairly older players is gather what data we have, available footage, and reports of what contemporary judges said of past players to formulate our own judgement. If you don’t do that then how can we say your judgement is not simply bias for your favourite player? My fave defender is neither Van Dijk nor Stam, it’s Nemanja Vidic, but I don’t think Vidic is the GOAT stopper. Accomplishment has to be taken into account and Van Dijk hasn’t impressed on the international stage how some of the great sweepers did. It’s all well and good being technically complete but don’t you have to apply it at every level to achieve GOAT status? Sure you can argue that van dijk is bigger and fitter or a better header, but when the other guy has a world cup, a euros and 3 european cups along with 100 career goals - not to mention all the finals and semi-finals he captained his team to - the other guy sure applied what ability he had at the highest level (Beckenbauer). It’s fine to crown a player the best you have seen, but when you say he’s the greatest it’s a different standard. The standard is your contribution to winning and sustained success, not just physique or technical ability. Plus, it is not even definite van dijk is the most technically gifted or athletic since as the video explained he doesn’t have the quickest feet and can get skinned by elusive dribblers; he doesn’t carry or dribble, or make himself available for the ball like the great sweepers of the past, and he hasn’t been a major goal threat like a Koeman or Passarella. And if he has these flaws then we can give doubt to whether he truly is the “most complete”. It’s a valid debate. I don’t think we should crown players whom haven’t even finished their careers “the greatest” or “most complete ever”. The differing opinions don’t concern me however, it is the certainty with which people state their opinion. As if it is fact. As if the argument is settled by their say-so with no need for further debate. “Player X is the greatest ever” is an easy statement to make but, well, how do you know? How can you be so certain? How do we know this is a well-evidenced position as opposed to a fan supporting a player? It reeks of someone my age being ignorant of past greats; and also failing at basic parameterisation, so we can give some structure and consistency to our judgements.

[@devinlawnfield6035]

Finally someone does an objective analysis on him properly 😭Thanks alot fam

[@cybermanne]

Really well put together analysis! And I think you probably nailed all the difficult aspects and got to a pretty fair conclusion. I would probably have ranked Van Dijk lower than you did, but I think you backed your opinions well enough that it's hard to disagree too much. Franco Baresi is the goat imo. He was just stupid good.

[@davidcoquelle3081]

And van Djik did go up against aguero and did a good job again at him and he has the skillset that you mention, Rio got more destroyed over his career by the same type of player

[@adebisitahir3195]

I had no idea Marquinhos was this broken in possession

[@Sealionborn]

Marquinhos and Verratti have always dominated these possession stats in his videos, partly because they ARE in fact elite, and partly because they play(ed) for PSG, a team which faces fewer quality high-pressing teams than the other big clubs.

[@csakegybolond264]

Could you make a video about Anthony Gordon? He can decide big games, he is extremely fast and he runs a lot plus his defending abilities are good.

[@gairejr980]

I think you are downplaying Vandjik and rio as well . But really like the video . Just One negative u didn't keep the same energy with comparing old gen to new gen system and abilities like u claimed with vvd with old gen . Keep the hardwork bro . Good video .

[@Kobble8]

Great video, and it's what I expected to see from VVD. Could you do one for Ramos, because I truly believe that he's the most overrated defender of all time (from an actual defensive standpoint).

[@Shadowghost77777]

Yes

[@sp4cem4n70]

I really like the objectivity of this analysis videos, I do not feel the biases although I know those are inherent to human judgement. Even the comments are mostly based instead of being favor-ridden opinions. Very likeable ❤

[@AndromedaEleven]

Great video, I hope to see more videos on players with a world-class status/classic players, not only the youngsters.

[@IFZAM666]

Great analysis as usual👍🏿👍🏿, can you do on Martinelli next?

[@oguzo.1882]

If you ask Messi fans, Messi's best year was 2019. Van Dijk finished 2nd in the 2019 Ballon D'or, a few points behind Messi. Also you are weighing the trophies too much. Ultimately, this depends on the sources of the club you are in. Come on man, we all have eyes. All the other CBs you mentioned in the video had serious flaws as well as their excellent qualities. Whereas Van Dijk has almost no flaws. He can do even the worst thing to a certain standard. I'm disappointed. I expected a more objective evaluation from you.

[@lfc8082]

Agreed

[@firellparker7463]

Messis best year was 2013-15

[@matty6171]

Best defender the prem has ever seen, anyone who disagrees is either living in the past or bringing bias into the situation.

[@jigglebiggle2799]

You are literally bringing bias into this by saying he is, video says otherwise Go ahead and cope

[@justicegambino4207]

Yes, let’s discredit anyone’s argument as bias or nostalgic if they disagree with you 😂

[@matty6171]

@@jigglebiggle2799the video lists a weakness of his as ‘too chilled?’, you know you’re looking at the best defender the prems seen when you have to reach for statements like that😂

[@nananou1687]

The greatest idiotic comment this comment section has ever seen. Anyone who disagrees is either living in the past comment sections or bringing bias to this situation

[@nananou1687]

@@matty6171 You know you are waffling when you cant see the issues associated with his game mentioned in the video. No one disagrees VVD is a CB god. But he is not the best defender, without severe competitive opinions.

[@HishamR89]

I think Konate is the one that holds the backline together. He covers for Trent and sweeps for VVD. I think he's very underrated.

[@RolandBoni-zz9uz]

I agree with most of everything you said but you talking about the other legends of the game hits different. You watched footage of them and made that decision. That's not a big sample size. Not even a premier league fan but i think he is one of the GOATs

[@Lokolokongo]

Objective as per would love more of this for similar players. Players almost at the end but still on top and can further better their legacy

[@mansamensa7959]

Great video! Could you do one on Raphael Varane? I think fro his signing till around 2016/2017 he was the best CB I’ve ever seen. Unbeatable.ultra composed. Doesn’t bite, is sure in his speed and seems to always have a picture of the game behind him so he doesn’t fall for the look-head-fakes.

[@nopoint2427]

Very fair and objective rating I think the injury definitely reduced his confidence but he can reach these heights if Ruben Amorim turns out to be another goat level manager.

[@mukhtar3052]

Bro i think you should do Pau Cubarsi next. Imo the closest player to Beckenbaur in the modern game

[@bobbuilder4422]

PIB, I'm curious to know what your top 10 all-time centre-back list looks like.

[@finalio]

His major strength is his positional sense and composure. A fair criticism would br that he is too chilled/ passive in his confrontation with strikers, not necessarily tackles. Look at Maldini in his later years when he no longer could chase and tackle as before, but kept his aggressive confrontational aspect alive.

[@KebbaCham-f1w]

Great video, l would love to see you make one for pau cubarsi.

[@reeceperry2237]

We need a video on Kylian Mbappe future at real and what positions he can play and what real should do tactically.

[@ezekielphiri2607]

Awesome video. I respectfully see VVD as the best all round defender I've ever seen

[@honestarsenalfan7038]

Do Gabriel next

[@mashwork6615]

My only issue with van dijk as a centre back is his box defending very unwilling to engage attackers therefore giving them time and space to get shots off at goal. It’s too massive of a flaw to ignore. He seems hesitant and gassed by the amount of running he does at times maybe that’s why he constantly lets attackers have shots at goal could also be because he trusts Allison that much but in crucial moments for club and country Vs the best itw like aguero Suarez Benzema he’s been punished for it and it’s why he’s been heavily criticised by Dutch legends for not taking command. whilst I think he has a case to be the goat prem cb one major sticking point for me has been the level of strikers he’s faced in the premier league during his peak has been at an all time low. Harry Kane is the only elite striker in his prime thats coincided with VVDs prime and Kane has consistently come up trumps Vs Liverpool. Rio and JT saw far stiffer competition midtable teams still had players like Saha Anelka yakubu Viduka that were massive handfuls never mind your Rooney Drogba Henry Torres etc. Overall he’s still a great cb but he still has more to do to take the prem goat label

[@Olimpico230]

I really enjoy this, can you do Eder Militao?

[@DJCREAM01]

A good video idea would be to breakdown Fergusons tactics and give us an idea of how we would fare in the modern game.

[@dColorOfBoom]

I’d say, best cover defender for sure. Having a last man able to consistently slow counters till the team recovers, is fucking immense. Maybe my knowledge base is limited.

[@rajghoderao]

Great video! Would love a video on hueng min son

[@shimonbarkolin2038]

Thank you for the videos. I love your analysis

[@faizanmunir4504]

Really great analysis. What is eveident tho none of the PL great defenders were as spinal to their teams system as VVD alone is. Factor in , Liverpool play a very attacking football and high-line. While I agree maybe he doesnt have the best CV against the worlds leading forwards maybe bcuz he hasnt had much encounters but there are encounters in which he has been highly successful as well. PSG with ney and mbappe was a real test, also netherlands match vs france where he got the better of mbappe. Mbappe is a demon to deal with. Also yes , against haaland it really does play with VVDS strengths so its no surprise that he dominates them. Also which CB doesnt have nervy/embarrassing moments against highly agile , feint and wiry players. Last season as a whole was an undermining season by virgs standards. IMO no defender in history can get the better of someone like messi. Also Rio and terry also struggled against electric pacey players now and then , probably way more than VVD did. In all honesty id think either of them won their duels as convincingly as VVD but yes both terry and Rio had a longer peak and were in competitive teams for a long time. As a pure defender , legacy aside VVD imo is easily better than them both without a doubt. Still my opinion tho.

[@matthewpetty3255]

The idea that he can’t play against small tricky players is flawed, literally locked up the best player of all time

[@amirhosein1517]

Just imagine van dijk and Ramos next each other

[@CF-sd4rl]

Would be the perfect combo tbf. VVD’s calm next to Ramos’ chaos would be top 3 oat

[@amirhosein1517]

@@CF-sd4rl exactly

[@Sealionborn]

In terms of how good he is compared to the standard of being a "World Class" defender in their era, I don't think it's controversial to say VVD is further above that standard than anyone has ever been. He obviously doesn't have the longevity of Maldini or Baresi, but in terms of his peak/prime it's hard to say anyone was definitely better than big Virg.

[@dColorOfBoom]

His biggest weakness besides the passivity (he’s a cover, not really an issue), is facing big strikers that have good dribbling and decent agility.

[@kiweping5]

The fact that Maldini said he’s the ‘best defender in history’, you know he’s the best defender in history.

[@shaggy5718]

Great breakdown can you do Rodri or Foden next.

[@kimtaiyano5545]

Come on Van Dijk rarely gets done by trickery or skillful players, he went a whole season without getting dribbled past despite playing against Messi, Suarez, Neymar and Mbappe in 18/19. Modern defending helps him in that respect as he is less exposed to 1v1s but also even the likes of Maldini, Nesta etc couldn't lock up prime R9 or R10

[@Overlorddz]

Right now the critics in NL are too harsh on Van Dijk and Depay. I can see why Depay could've been swapped a couple of times, just because we have enough great leads like him that didn't get their chances as much. But Van Dijk is such a abominable player, he was a late bloomer and tough as leather. Now they bash him for everything that went wrong whereas he was the only one that argued with the weird ass referee in that game against England, which could have gone the other way just as easily.

[@johnobono4240]

Virgil van Dijk is the greatest all-round defender of all time.

[@charlesgram]

No

[@shanchar]

No he's not

[@ihebmemmi3216]

Didn't age well according to the video😂😂

[@devinlawnfield6035]

No

[@BloodRedLFC]

He says greatest ALL-ROUND defender, which is true, ball-player CB yet physically dominant

[@jvr6272]

Would love for you to make Sergio Ramos! He was another CB who could do everything

[@BruceJohnston-jw5tt]

All those old players would last 5 min in the premier league VVD is better than all of them

[@Stephanie-nz5lp]

He manages to score as well as defend...earned his Captaincy as well.

[@abdelkabirazzaoui]

At this moment he may strugle with the guys you mentioned like henry romario etc but Prime van dijk did face messi neymar mbappe cr7 hazard willian son and the list goes on and the only one who he struggled with was messi which is very very very normal for all the defenders in the history of football

[@User677-56]

Good analysis. Certainly not with the best but good from current generation. Mistake like not tackling valverde in champions league final will always highligh obvious weakness in his game.

[@ianng4633]

I don't think you can get an accurate gauge on his ball carrying in Liverpool because it's always the other CB who carries the ball. Also, there hasn't been another "illusive attacking" CB in the Premier League for the last 10 years, so I don't think that it is a criteria anymore, or at least there are no more apples around to compare with.

[@DanielGeorge-e6z]

Bella Kotchap video pls and Manu Kone

[@ericthekop9624]

World class.

[@teomate14s]

First thank me 'cause I made a mistake watching all your videos, so I'm gonna do it again, that means double visual for u🙄😬 Just kidding: great content as always, particularly for how honest you seem to be🤙🏻 Just two things: 1: I don't understand where you put man marking for defenders. Have you integreated the stuff that's needed in other categories, right? 2: please learn how to pronounce Scirea, 'cause I didn't understood who you were referencing to until I watched the clip. I thought there was some great defender I never heard about 😂 Btw: how about an Andrea Cambiaso's video? He seems the perfect player to focus for one of these while understanding the evolution of the game Chill

[@PythagorasinBoots]

@@teomate14s man marking we integrated into the 1 v 1, ball winning section and positional we seperate otherwise we be there all day breaking down the micro components of defending which I can’t do in a video format. How do you say it? Send me a link…

[@teomate14s]

@@PythagorasinBoots kzbin.infogx7t90RFW_o?si=6ELVgtOY1vD9zrKo Thanks for clarifying

[@sm0iks698]

I mean comparing him to liberos is kinda stupid in my opinion, Your asking the question of how GOOD he is not how his legacy holds up. And Liberos are pretty much extinct in this day and age. Even your Gykores video was bad because why would a striker need good tackling and great long passing? Not every football has to be complete for them to be considered good, Van dijk DOESNT need dribbling because thats the system he plays in, same with the point of you saying "he doesnt open up for possession like a libero does" yes because thats not his role? its like comparing Curtis Jones to Andrea Pirlo, Different roles and different attributes that make the player them.

[@georgefalconer9470]

Why not analyse it though? Yes, it shouldn't be make or break, but if he did have those attributes we would see them more often with the eye test and it's better to have the attributes than not, which would factually make him a better footballer. Also, I think the rating of intergenerational shows how much he respects his talent as his list of accolades isn't huge. And you can go back and watch the players he name dropped and their tackling technique and ball playing is noticeably superior than Van Dijk's. Although I don't think you mentioned his tackling but I thought I'd add it in there anyway.

[@marshalsaini9619]

What about harry kane ?

[@varunl6948]

Definitely top5 CB every year consistently! Only beaten by Marquinhos, or Ruben Or Militao. Number 4 would be VD.

[@adarshvatsa7395]

My brother in christ, he is 33, what does that 84 even mean lmao, He's reached his highest potential(which is admittedly, pretty high, probably the best CB in the pl even now), he can stay there, he can be an 84 rn, that 81 estimated potential and 84 max potential for a player who'll retire in a few years?

[@authordakid]

This video before the match later on>>

[@AttilaBG]

I mean, you do you know that the era they're playing in has to be taken into consideration. Best modern one, for sure.

[@krisnarajendra2496]

Do one on Ramos, wanna see how he compare to the likes of VVD. Because in this videos you didn’t even one ramos attribute (like even pique was mentioned once lol)

[@bobbuilder4422]

Can you do a video on Calafiori? He somewhat reminds me of Maldini

[@tomchamberlain4329]

What a surprise, a vid featuring a great Liverpool player has a comments section full of Liverpool fans complaining that the poster hasn't rated their player as an all time great. Some perspective: football has been played for 150 years, and no, VVD is not one of the all time greats. He is one of the best of his era tho, maybe THE best. But like PIB says, to claim he is better than Maldini, Beckenbauer, Passarella, Baresi, Moore, etc etc, is just disrespectful and shows insane recency bias. He is a great player tho. Hardly anyone would deny that. Best cb of the last decade probably.

[@CodPatrol]

He is an all time great just not this season or last, his backing off and injury has led to him ducking out of duels and blocking shots. He just backs off now and has less recovery pace to deal with it

[@CodPatrol]

Quite a possibility he is the worst centerback in the entire prem at trying to block shots, he likes turning his shoulder too much. He stands still rather than running towards the ball when it’s in the penalty area

[@attila-man]

VVD is defo an all time great. I don't know who the greatest of all time is, but he sits with the greats.

[@aurangzebhassan896]

Koeman, Beckenbaur, Marquez and Pique were better on the ball than him. Didn't bail out of duels like he does. Backtracks till he gets cover.

[@Eren-kw9jz]

Do cubarsi next

[@chesscomsupport8689]

Is Stones really as bad as the stats shown in the video seem to suggest?

[@eazyollie9370]

VVD is the best CB ever. He's bigger, stronger, quicker than everyone. I've never seen a CB make defensive actions look so easy. Doesn't matter who his defensive partner is he's got the defence locked down. He also plays for the most attacking team in Europe, Liverpool can only do this on a consistent basis because of him. He's most certainly the best in PL history that's not even a conversation.

[@intellectual_honesty5961]

Defenders today are better than ever before and attackers today are worse. Attackers are far more protected. And defenders actually have to defend nowadays and can't afford to just swipe at people, foul them, with no repercussions, especially with VAR watching every challenge. They also have to worry about VAR penalising stupid handballs in the box and have to more passive than ever. Attackers have it so much easier than the days of R9, Pele and Maradona. Messi and Ronaldo were the last of the old era and went from being butchered with tackles in their early days, to being protected and able to play until to their near 40s in the latter days of their career. VVD is a great defender, especially in this era where it's hard to actually defend cleanly. If he was given the leniency of Stam/Cannavaro who were allowed to fly into tackles on an R9 (why he got so many injuries) and not get a yellow card, he'd look even better than he has.

[@raflymalik3625]

can you do leny yoro pls ? i really like your analysis

[@philjonesfootball4696]

Most complete mordern defender to date tho , might not be up there like Maldini but gets the job done anyway and will start in any starting XI

[@MrTechnodude4life]

None of those defenders you listed as better could keep up with todays high lines like Van Dijk can

[@omarshah5028]

Do JT next

[@4mrrz-]

make video for future Liverpool coach Amorim

[@AM_TIME_FLY]

Can you do Duya next?

[@kangtheconqueror2540]

Van dijik > ramos

[@pyrosdestiny]

You didn't show how much he sits off defender's and doesn't engage. For me his biggest weakness.

[@tluangteachhakchhuak9272]

Bruv can you analyse Saliba next

[@adamnajjar6418]

Can you put music in the background while your talking

[@katsukibakugo2849]

Salina vid please!

[@yovanyperez8522]

Can you do a Cubarsi one

[@somecringedude6171]

please analyse barella next

[@SimeonLeo-s9n]

My condolences as you're a UTD fan

[@Domnd21]

Can you do a saka video

[@Kerwinnn]

He is not the undisputed goat of epl CBs. It's very difficult to pick one, but VVD is not it. One of the prem greats no doubt.

[@indianbossman606]

He most definitely is the goat CB of the prem

[@Kerwinnn]

@@indianbossman606 keep being wrong!

[@afallenworld1581]

I have said it before, the 16/17 season of Van Dijk is the best season of a defender in EPL history. The best defender to ever play in the EPL Stam.

[@swapniltambe8950]

Make a video on teun koopmieners

[@yakha10]

Do gvardiol plz