Irate columnist claims Liverpool starter ‘betrayed’ his country in furious diatribe after World Cup exit | OneFootball

One Liverpool player has been the subject of a hard-hitting tirade from an outspoken columnist in his homeland after his country were knocked out of the World Cup.

Five of the eight Reds players have seen their involvement at the tournament come to an end over the past 48 hours, with three bowing out at once as Netherlands lost to Morocco on penalties on Monday night.

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Cody Gakpo heroically played in that game (and scored) even after the heartbreaking loss of his unborn son in recent days, although one of his Anfield teammates was the subject of a vicious tirade from the nation’s media.

Dutch columnist blasts Van Dijk after World Cup exit

De Telegraaf‘s Valentijn Driessen didn’t hold back in his condemnation of Virgil van Dijk after the Oranje’s World Cup exit, a ‘great disgrace’ of a result which prompted head coach Ronald Koeman to step down from his position.

The columnist accused both men of having ‘betrayed everything our national team stands for’, lamenting the change to a back-three formation as a consequence of the Liverpool captain not getting his ‘defensive act together’ during the group stage.

Driessen blamed the 34-year-old for being ‘out of position’ and losing track of Issa Diop for Morocco’s stoppage-time equaliser, with the writer stating his belief that the Dutch defender’s ‘time is up’.

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Not Driessen’s first time hammering Van Dijk

Admittedly Van Dijk could’ve done better on the goal which took the game to extra time (and later penalties), allowing the Fulham centre-back to run in behind him and get his head to Chemsdine Talbi’s cross, but we still think that the columnist’s criticism of him is excessive.

The skipper played through the pain barrier in extra time despite (as Koeman revealed afterwards) his calf ‘bothering him badly’ – hardly the actions of someone who was ‘betraying’ his country on the world stage.

The Liverpool captain was reasonably solid throughout the match, making six clearances and winning four of his six duels (Sofascore), though he was fatefully caught out for the equaliser.

We’d take Driessen’s observations with a pinch of salt, considering that he previously referred to Van Dijk as an ‘overblown narcissist’ with a ‘dubious reputation’, comments which offer quite the insight into his provocative style of writing.

Hopefully the 34-year-old can quickly shake off the disappointment of this week, enjoy a well-earned holiday and return to the AXA Training Centre with a renewed determination to excel for the club that he’s represented with great distinction since the start of 2018.