‘I would say’: Virgil van Dijk shares how he really feels about playing against Arsenal
Virgil van Dijk has played against some of the best players and the best teams in the world. The Dutchman has been playing at the...
Virgil van Dijk has played against some of the best players and the best teams in the world.
The Dutchman has been playing at the top level with Liverpool for a long time now, and he’s seen pretty much everything at Anfield.
From Barcelona and Real Madrid to Luton Town and Norwich City, Van Dijk has played against almost every opponent imaginable.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s Podcast, Van Dijk has been asked to name who he sees as his toughest opponents these days.
The centre-back says that Manchester City and Arsenal are his toughest opposition now, claiming that you can’t slip up for a second against these two teams.
Virgil van Dijk comments on facing Arsenal
Van Dijk named City and Arsenal as his two toughest opponents these days.
The defender says that he loves playing against the top teams as it keeps him on his toes, claiming that this level of competition is part of the beauty of the Premier League.
Interestingly, this comes just after Van Dijk highlighted a weakness in Arsenal last week.
“Who are the guys that give you the most problems in the game? When you go into a game, you go, listen, I know this is going to be the real deal for now,” Ferdinand asked.
“I would say in this case then, City and Arsenal, especially from last year, it’s always tough against them. You know that if you’re not focused for a second or slip up or whatever, you could get punished immediately. But, you know, that’s the beauty of the Premier League anyway,” Van Dijk said.
You play against good strikers, weekend, week out, and now you have this year the Champions League back again. So it’s only something I really enjoy, and it keeps me on my toes. And yeah, I love it.””
Virgil van Dijk’s record against Arsenal
Van Dijk names Arsenal as one of his toughest opponents and the stats do back that up.
Indeed, while Van Dijk is rarely on the losing side in any game, Arsenal have often caused hm a few problems.
Virgil van Dijk’s record against Arsenal Games 21 Wins 8 Draws 7 Losses 6
Van Dijk, interestingly doesn’t fare that well against Arsenal, and that’s in spite of the fact that Arsenal were, with all due respect, a mid-table club in the late 2010s and early 2020s.
Two of those defeats were during Van Dijk’s time at Southampton, but
Interestingly, Van Dijk named former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud as one of his toughest ever opponents.
Mikel Arteta may have turned Arsenal into a much better team in recent years, but Van Dijk has always had quite a tough time against the Gunners, even back in the Arsene Wenger days.
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