Virgil van Dijk calls out Dutch reporter over ‘baseless’ claims during tetchy press conference | OneFootball

Virgil van Dijk was involved in a frosty exchange with one Dutch journalist during a press conference prior to Netherlands’ UEFA Nations League opener against Germany.

The Liverpool captain has opted to prolong his international career under new Oranje head coach Xavi and will tonight come up against his former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, who takes charge of his country for the first time.

The 35-year-old had been in the firing line from his homeland after their surprisingly early exit from the World Cup in the summer, with outspoken columnist Valentijn Driessen accusing him of ‘betraying everything our national team stands for‘ after their elimination by Morocco in the round of 32.

Van Dijk hits out at Dutch journalist in tetchy press conference

Van Dijk came face to face with that particular journalist during the press conference ahead of Netherlands’ match against Germany, and a question from the latter about what went wrong for the Oranje at the World Cup lit the fuse for the Anfield skipper.

The denfender hit back (via Voetbal Primeur, translated from Dutch): “Well, it’s easy to say in hindsight: ‘We should have done this differently’ or ‘We should have done that differently’.

“One of your colleagues also said, of course, that it was my idea to switch to playing with a back five. That is utter nonsense. The fact is we simply failed at the World Cup; those are the hard facts.”

(Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

When Driessen accused Van Dijk of giving short answers and ‘shutting things down’ the Liverpool star retorted: “I’ve never had anything against the media, but when nonsense is being sent out there…

“We didn’t play a good World Cup. It’s not about me. You perform together; you’re a team. Your claim that I destroyed Dutch football after the World Cup – that sort of thing is completely baseless…”

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Van Dijk has had enough of such ridiculous slander

For Van Dijk, this seemed to be a case of him being at the end of his tether with Driessen, who – in addition to his post-World Cup tirade – had also previously described the Liverpool captain as an ‘overblown narcissist’ with a ‘dubious reputation’.

The journalist certainly seems to have an agenda against the 35-year-old, who rightly called out such senseless defamation in yesterday’s press conference and put the columnist in his place.

It’s an episode which’ll hardly help Netherlands as they seek to blow off the cobwebs of their World Cup exit when facing their biggest rivals tonight, who themselves are seeking to put a poor summer showing in North America behind them.

One way for Van Dijk to answer his critics would be to carry over his form from club level, where he and Jeremy Jacquet are already forming an imperious centre-back partnership since the Frenchman’s arrival in the off-season.

Whatever Driessen might think and say about the Liverpool captain, the defender’s reputation as a market leader in his position is set to endure well beyond the conclusion of his playing days.