You might not have seen the replay. It was a hefty slap to the face, Jesus wasn't overreacting from the looks of things. It's a classic yellow card offence tbh, but it wasn't even a foul given.
Virgil van Dijk | Performances
- Thread starter Samid
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You might not have seen the replay. It was a hefty slap to the face, Jesus wasn't overreacting from the looks of things. It's a classic yellow card offence tbh, but it wasn't even a foul given.
Sorry, yes. It was VVD who handled in the area I think? Lovern did impede him there.
Brilliant apart from that error. Likewise lovren was pretty great, still think Gomez should go back to the centre though.
All that brilliance would count for nought when the error could cost 3 points, Mahrez saved his bacon with an appalling penalty.
The way people talk in this thread you would think there were sides who never conceded or even allow the other side to create chances.
Yes, the VVD hand ball was a foul since he got slapped in the face by Fernandinho.
Lovren back handed Jesus in the box, would be a yellow card anywhere else on the pitch. But Martin Atkinson is a sucker for the home crowd.
Norwegian commentator didn't even mention it. Huge Liverpool fan. Clear cut penalty that. Lucky!
So you got one penalty against you and clearly should have had another. Is that great? Good grief.
Definitely a rash challenge. Maybe Smalling is the better defender after all.
Best defender in the league...
And he was thoroughly outpaced by Sane as well. Sometimes he looks very fast, but sometimes a little slow on the turn. Terrible tackle, but I think he admitted as much in the post match interview
The challenge was reminiscent of Jones on Hazard in the FA Cup final.
Should’ve stayed on his feet and tried to force Sane to stop and move away from goal.
He should be our captain imo. Henderson isn’t a leader.
He should be our captain imo. Henderson isn’t a leader.
The first few pages of this thread read exactly like the Fabinho thread currently reads...
Or the Charlie Adam thread...
Touché
Said as much when he was at Southampton and was one of the few who argued that he'd be a great signing. He's Smalling and Blind rolled into one.
Yup, he'll come good and you'll have the best No 6 in the league along with the best goalkeeper, the best CB, the best LB and the best front three.
I don't know why Jose didn't go for him - Bailly and VVD would have been a good pairing.
Embarrassing to even mention Smalling and him in the same breath. Apart from being CBs they have nothing in common.
Hope you're right!
It was gutting to see him and up at Liverpool because his talent was so obvious. I'm just glad they didn't get Fekir in the end. That would've been a real kick to the groin!
I've always thought the way they defend is similar. It's just Van Dijk has amazing ball playing ability to go with it.
Probably the best CB in the league at present. Was in imperious form yesterday. That Liverpool back line would struggle massively without him. He does a lot of the difficult stuff and makes it look easy, as well as being a presence in both boxes.
It is. They're both good tacklers, strong in the air and generally read the game well, and both can be prone to lapses in concentration and are a bit oblivious to whats beyond their immediate line of sight.
Van Dijk is playing with immense confidence and in a functioning team, Smalling is not.
They also make few mistakes per game so there's that too. One more noticable than other considering Smalling plays for United.
VVD is a top CB, maybe the best CB in the league now but his performances have been a little bit exaggerated. He nearly cost Liverpool a loss against City with a cumbersome challenge on Sane. A loss there would have seriously harmed their title challenge.
Can hardly say that as a reason for the difference between the two though. Van dijk made a difference to an awful back line the second he got there and is a main reason they are a functioning team. He is leagues above smalling.
He was ridiculously good yesterday. Luckily for them as the guy in front of him was ridiculously bad.
So annoying that Liverpool have more hits than misses in terms of their transfer strategy, whereas we seem to be the opposite. Whenever they spend significant money, the players always seem to do well. From their squad yesterday: VVD, Salah, Firmino, Mane, Robertson, Gomez have all been hits. The jury is out on Fabinho but it's too early to say.
VvD at this moment is two or three levels above Smalling.
At the moment VdV is CL level and Smalling is a drunk bloke turning up for sunday league and being told to sit this one out.
He was everywhere yesterday. Absolute beast of a performance and I’ve no trouble saying that as a United fan
You are underrating Smalling.
So, typical traits of almost any good CB?
Van Dijk is in another league. Even the stuff they're both good at, VVD is better than Smalling at. His strength in particular is a level above pretty much anyone.
Also Keita we can’t really say yet of course.
I know what you are saying though, they seem to have more hits than Arsenal for instance even though transfer budgets are probably comparable. Fecking annoying.
Maybe we should just start being lazy & gazump the scousers whenever they are linked with players. Could turn into an intriguing game of bluff & double bluff though of course. We’ll end up with the likes of Andy Carroll when they were really in for Suarez all along etc. Bastards.
As regards VVD, he’s good yes but also has the odd brain fart in him. I’d love to see him up against a quality, big & powerful CF along the lines of Drogba or Diego Costa to see how he coped. Obviously not Lukaku. Oh god no. I’d rather we play without Lukaku when we play them. Can only see one winner emerging there sorry to say
Ridiculously good yesterday but he probably should’ve scored at least two. The free header in the second half was a bad miss.
He's surprisingly underwhelming with corners in the opposition box. When's the last time he scored a header from a corner?
He's a such an asset to them. You can basically leave him alone in the box for crosses, and use the other CB as cover to the full backs. Is absolutely immense in the air.
That defense is 3 kids and him, and they've conceded like 5 goals all season. Mind boggling. So much better than I thought he'd be.
That defense is 3 kids and him, and they've conceded like 5 goals all season. Mind boggling. So much better than I thought he'd be.
Yeah, anywhere but at the keeper & he scores, innit?