'Not one of the best in the world', harsh criticism of Liverpool star

While Liverpool's poor showing so far can be considered a collective one, Jürgen Klopp's squad has a couple of elements that stand out for their inconsistency on the pitch, one of them being Netherlands international Virgil van Dijk, a defender who is largely to blame for that late goal against Brighton.

The team that was considered a defensive wall in recent Premier League seasons seems to have collapsed for 2022, as almost every time Klopp and his players go in at half-time, they have already conceded a goal, making it more difficult for the Merseyside side to fight for a win that they have only managed a couple of times in the second half.

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This situation for the Reds has prompted former Chelsea and Tottenham player Jason Cundy to speak to talkSPORT, claiming that the Dutch defender is nowhere near his best, let alone on a par with the best centre-backs in the English league, naming a couple of others as examples. He's not (among the Premier League's best centre-backs). He's nowhere near them," James Tarkowski has had a better season than him, Conor Coady, Eric Dier and William Saliba."

Possibly the words of the former footballer and now radio broadcaster seem a little exaggerated if you take as a reference the statements of other players who have seen the football played by the Dutchman, as for example it is enough to mention the best player in the Premier League, Erling Haaland who called Van Dijk as the best in the world, as well as Neymar said how much he hates playing against him for his great work he does in that last third of the pitch near his goal.

Van Dijk is not among the best in the world'

As for this season, the brains of the defensive unit have not been close to their best a few months ago when they finished runners-up in the league and Champions League. However, it is also clear that Liverpool are not functioning well as a team at the moment, and this has consistently affected each and every player's individual performances, as was the case with Mohamed Salah and his goalscoring efficiency.