Wayne Rooney called Liverpool’s defense “lazy,” but the captain of Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk, has dismissed his criticism.
Van Dijk was a member of the Liverpool team that lost to PSG 1-0 at home on Tuesday night. The visitors then won at Anfield via penalty shootout to guarantee a quarterfinal berth.
Ousmane Dembele’s goal at Anfield turned the match in PSG’s favor after Liverpool had earlier won 1-0 in the first leg in Paris.
Rooney’s remarks regarding Van Dijk’s defense against PSG
While analysing the goal as a pundit for Amazon Prime, Rooney slammed Liverpool’s defensive effort, stating that the goal was poor from their perspective.
Van Dijk looked lethargic as he attempted to press the ball, according to the England international.
‘This goal from Liverpool’s perspective is wrong in so many ways. They are trying to press the ball and Van Dijk gets lazy.
“Watch Van Dijk — he’s just walking and leaves a huge gap for Dembele,” Rooney said. “All he needs to do is shift across and cover him, because there’s no other passing option for Paris, but he doesn’t do it.” as per the Daily Mail.
Van Dijk fires back at Rooney
Van Dijk responded to the criticism by stating that he was aware of the remarks.
The Dutchman clarified that he was assisting Andy Robertson at that precise moment by covering the interior while giving him instructions on how to handle the exterior.
‘I’m even explaining now what I thought at that moment, but if he thought it was lazy then he gave his opinion. That’s it.
According to the 33-year-old defender, players in the past faced difficulties as well, but players nowadays constantly have to contend with people’s opinions, which are frequently exaggerated.
“There were plenty of challenges for players in the past, and of course, it’s challenging for players today too,” Van Dijk said. “You constantly have to deal with opinions, and things get blown out of proportion all the time.”
The future of Van Dijk at Anfield
Since Van Dijk’s current contract expires on June 30, it is still unclear if he will remain at Anfield past this summer.The player has made 310 appearances since moving from Southampton to Liverpool in January 2018 and has assisted the team in winning eight major trophies.
What Liverpool’s future holds
In Sunday’s Carabao Cup final, the Premier League leaders will play Newcastle United at Wembley.Arne Slot would win his first trophy since taking over at Anfield if the Reds prevailed.
Van Dijk’s audacious eight-word response to the PSG chief during the tunnel dispute
Van Dijk’s altercation with PSG’s sporting director during a furious tunnel altercation during the first leg of their Champions League match was previously covered by TUKO.co.ke.Van Dijk, the captain of Liverpool, reportedly retaliated by claiming that this wasn’t Ligue 1.