L’Equipe give Van Dijk brutal rating as Liverpool captain slammed for ‘no need’ action | OneFootball

Virgil van Dijk endured Liverpool’s humbling defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday and L’Equipe put a brutal number on his struggles.

Arne Slot’s side were put to the sword by PSG in their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday as goals from Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia secured a 2-0 win for the Ligue 1 giants which flattered Liverpool on a night in which they were completely outplayed by the hosts.

Liverpool fielded a back five for the first time in a Champions League or Premier League game since December 2017 and Jamie Carragher launched an impassioned defence of Virgil van Dijk, who he claims has never looked “so uncomfortable” before ripping into Florian Wirtz and two of his teammates.

But infamously severe French outlet L’Equipe weren’t as forgiving with regard to Van Dijk, picking him out as the joint-worst performer for Liverpool along with Ryan Gravenberch and Milos Kerkez, as the trio were handed 3/10 ratings.

Georgio Mamardashvili was the only Reds player to be given a 6/10 despite Steven Gerrard’s “cruel” criticism of the goalkeeper, while everyone else was given either 4/10 or 5/10.

Van Dijk was also slammed by former Tottenham and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson for his unnecessary criticism of Joe Gomez.

But Carragher insisted Van Dijk was set up to fail by Slot and instead aimed his wrath at centre-back partner Ibrahima Konate.

“He [Slot] went about it with the back five all wrong and they were actually more open with a back five than they would be with a back four,” Carragher told CBS Sports.

“Because they went man-to-man all over the pitch and your three centre-backs had to cover the width of the pitch and for Virgil van Dijk watching him tonight in a middle of a back three… normally when you get to a certain age you feel in the middle of a back three is perfect, everyone’s in position, getting a bit of protection. This was different.

“Defenders were jumping into midfield, there was no one to mark and Virgil van Dijk at 34 years of age was having to run in there and he was having to run across. He couldn’t do it.

“People have criticised Van Dijk for his performances this season but I think it’s been harsh. I think he plays every game, the fella next to him has been awful all season and poor again tonight, Konate, makes a mistake every game, so that’s not easy to play alongside, so I still think he’s been one of Liverpool’s better players, Virgil van Dijk.

“But tonight in that back three I have never seen him [Van Dijk] so uncomfortable in a Liverpool shirt in my life.”