Van Dijk replacement for club and country named after Koeman criticism as ‘lazy’ Liverpool star slammed | OneFootball

Virgil van Dijk produced another poor performance in a lacklustre season for the Liverpool captain, this time for the Netherlands, as his successor for club and country has been named.

Van Dijk has been criticised – along with most other Liverpool stars – for his recent displays for the Reds, who have lost five of their last six Premier League games as manager Arne Slot struggles to get anything like the best of a squad boosted by £420m-worth of new summer additions having won the title last season.

The Reds captain has come out swinging to defend himself against Wayne Rooney and other Premier League pundits this season, but the Dutch media have now hit out at the 34-year-old following the Netherlands’ 1-1 draw with Poland on Friday.

Ronald Koeman’s side missed the chance to ensure qualification for next summer’s World Cup, though Memphis Depay’s equalise has all but secured their place as they hold a three-point lead over Poland at the top of Group G, as well as a 12-goal advantage, heading into their final game against Lithuania.

Football Oranje gave Van Dijk a 5.5 out of 10, claiming he was “caught out for the goal with his lack of pace” and “booted the ball out of play at times when trying to play forward.”

De Telegraaf said he was “positioned incorrectly,” while AD claimed he “wasn’t razor-sharp and “probably would have done better to close the gap.”

After the game, Koeman refused to name names but claimed “several players” were at fault for Jakub Kaminski’s goal.

He said: “I watched the goal again. You’re five against two, and several players aren’t doing what they’re supposed to.

“Of course, they should never, ever score a goal from that. Things happen that simply shouldn’t happen.

“It’s not that one player is lacking. We’re doing that here with four or five people, compared to two.”

Micky van de Ven started at left-back for the Netherlands, but former Chelsea defender Khalid Boulahrouz believes the 24-year-old – who’s been in fine form for Tottenham this season – would be the perfect long-term replacement for Van Dijk for both club and country.

“I think he’s the ideal successor to Virgil van Dijk, both in the Dutch national team and at Liverpool,” the former Netherlands international told ESPN NL. “And Liverpool aren’t crazy: if you’re looking for a world-class left centre-back and you have the money, you’ll quickly end up with Van de Ven.

“The same goes for the Dutch national team. I think Koeman has long since realized that Van Dijk’s successor is already out there.

“He’s (Van de Ven) really outperforming them. He’s physically strong and incredibly quick. Opponents know that, so they don’t even try to get past him anymore.

“He could still do better on the ball; he makes the occasional blunder. But overall, I think he’s fantastic.”

Boulahrouz has defended Van Dijk amid the criticism aimed at the Liverpool captain this term, but wonders how long the veteran defender – who signed a new two-year contract in April – can continue to perform at the highest level.

“Virgil is still undisputed in the Dutch national team,” he said. “Even though Liverpool haven’t been performing quite as well lately. Diogo Jota’s passing has had a huge impact on the squad.

“In addition, many new players have joined. That has an impact, and you can see that with Van Dijk. But despite that, he remains a world-class player.

“The question, of course, is what Virgil will do after the World Cup. Playing in the Premier League for years has taken its toll. You might long for a bit of a break.”

Liverpool teammate Ryan Gravenberch was also far from his best against Poland and was branded “lazy” by former Nottingham Forest and Celtic striker Pierre van Hooijdonk.

“It’s laziness, because you think the ball won’t fall there anyway,” he said on NOS via Voetbal International as he watched clips of Gravenberch. “When you have a lot of possession against those kinds of teams, you actually have a false sense of dominance.”