Virgil van Dijk sends response to Ruud Gullit, who said Liverpool star is ‘clumsy’ and likened his defending to a ‘speed-skater’

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Virgil van Dijk has hit out at criticism from Dutch football icon Ruud Gullit over his recent defensive performances for Liverpool.

The 31-year-old is just one of a number of Jurgen Klopp’s stars who have struggled for the Reds as of late.

Van Dijk and Liverpool went 2-0 up against Madrid, but fell to a heavy defeat

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Van Dijk and Liverpool went 2-0 up against Madrid, but fell to a heavy defeat

Gullit seemed to mock centre-back for the way he defended

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Gullit seemed to mock centre-back for the way he defended

Following their dismal 5-2 Champions League defeat against Real Madrid, Gullit was far from pleased with the way Van Dijk defended.

Gullit has been quoted saying by the Daily Mirror: “Van Dijk puts his hands behind his back like a speed-skater and he bends his knees like speed-skaters do.

“His body is leaning forward. He kind of kneels down in his moves and only has his hands behind his back so he avoids a handball when the striker shoots.

“That, for me, is too easy, and it looks clumsy.”

On Gullit’s comments, Van Dijk said: “I have nothing to say on that. I set high standards. People try to hold me to that so that’s what I try to do.

“Coming back from the big injury and then being out for six weeks is tough so playing three games for 90 minutes is something I’m very proud of and have worked hard for.”

Van Dijk has offered a response to the legend’s comments

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Van Dijk has offered a response to the legend’s comments

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Van Dijk was absent for much of the 2020/21 campaign as a result of an ACL injury he suffered at rivals Everton.

He has still mostly been a reliable asset to Liverpool since his return, but his form this season is a far cry from his monumental efforts in recent years.

He is not the only one though, with the Reds facing the prospect of not winning any silverware this season, with early exits in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup making the Champions League their only chance of winning a trophy.

However, they travel to the Bernabeu for the second leg on March 15 knowing they need a miracle to advance to the quarter-finals. They also sit seventh in the Premier League.

Klopp’s side know they need to improve their form ahead of the second leg in Madrid

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Klopp’s side know they need to improve their form ahead of the second leg in Madrid

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February 28, 2023 at 12:49AM Premier League Table, Fixtures, News, Results, Opinion - talkSPORT https://ift.tt/vKUteSp

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