Gary Neville has criticized Virgil van Dijk. The analyst observed that the Liverpool captain received an early red card during their match against Newcastle United, which was completely unnecessary. Jamie Carragher also expressed a strong judgment about the player from Breda.
"A few seasons ago, during his prime years, Van Dijk wouldn't have even engaged in that challenge," Neville concluded on Sky Sports. The former Manchester United captain doesn't recognize the center-back anymore. This is especially true because Van Dijk sought that confrontation with the referees. "He's now venting his frustrations on the referee as well. But his decision won't be reversed by doing that."
Neville speaks from experience, as the former right-back has also found himself in that situation. "We've all been through that. You just need to walk away from the field and take the blow. The old Virgil would have just accepted it a few years ago."
Alexander Isak proved too fast for the defender at St. James' Park. The Swedish striker got ahead of Van Dijk, leading to the Dutch captain bringing him down. "Just let Isak take the ball with him," Neville responded. "Then he turns to the outside and becomes harmless. Liverpool's defense is so experienced, but at times, they look like a newly-formed unit. Sometimes you'd think they've only played twenty matches together."
Liverpool icon Carragher is also tough on Van Dijk. "I think Van Dijk does everything wrong here. He defends lazily because he joins too late. The decision to engage in the duel is unwise. It's a lazy way of defending."
By the way, Liverpool still won the English top match (1-2). Thanks to a late goal from Darwin Nuñez, Van Dijk's team turned around a deficit.
