Virgil Van Dijk

[VladimirIlyich]

5 hours ago, 3 Stacks said:

No, it isn't. van Dijk is one of the best players of his era. Those types of players don't sit games out.

Ok. You've won the internet again because you are correct without any variables at all.

[Trumo]

When he talks about post-game treatment sessions, I think that's where the difference in modern day medical and physiotherapy methods comes into play, compared with how players even in the 90s were getting cortisone injections before or after games if they'd had serious knee or ankle injuries. He leads a healthier lifestyle than players did back then too, so that can only help.

[Barrington Womble]

I'm getting really worried about Virgil's form. He just seems mentally not to be in games. He's reacting slowly, he's mostly looking very not arsed. It's easy enough to get up for the big games, but we need to see him dominate attackers when we're playing shite too. He's having too many performances this season were he's making absolute no mark forwards look good. 

[BeefStroganoff]

The lad is a shadow of the guy we bought. He’s lost his hunger.

[Section_31]

2 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

I'm getting really worried about Virgil's form. He just seems mentally not to be in games. He's reacting slowly, he's mostly looking very not arsed. It's easy enough to get up for the big games, but we need to see him dominate attackers when we're playing shite too. He's having too many performances this season were he's making absolute no mark forwards look good. 

 

Been the same with trent and sallah, they all genuinely look like they'd rather be doing something else with their day. I dunno the answer, maybe the result of coming so close last season then seeing it half turn to shit. Or the sheer mental exhaustion of it all having caught up with them.

 

Could be time for a rebuild, it happens.

[Barrington Womble]

3 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

 

Been the same with trent and sallah, they all genuinely look like they'd rather be doing something else with their day. I dunno the answer, maybe the result of coming so close last season then seeing it half turn to shit. Or the sheer mental exhaustion of it all having caught up with them.

 

Could be time for a rebuild, it happens.

Yeah, senior players right through the team, fab too. I dunno what the cause of it is, maybe it's last season, maybe it's something else, but what's clear is just way too often we see these players as shadows of before. The thing is one of the keys to our success was Virgil's one man defence act. Teams used to set up to avoid him, even at their own cost. Now nobody is arsed and he looks just like an ordinary centre back. If he can't get back to near his old levels, we almost need to change how we play. 

[SlugTrail]

29 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

I'm getting really worried about Virgil's form. He just seems mentally not to be in games. He's reacting slowly, he's mostly looking very not arsed. It's easy enough to get up for the big games, but we need to see him dominate attackers when we're playing shite too. He's having too many performances this season were he's making absolute no mark forwards look good. 

I didn't think Virg had a bad game yesterday, I was at the game and it deemed to be Konate going wandering that caused most of the problems. Solanke barely got a sniff.

[sir roger]

Other than the casual way he failed to make sufficient effort on the goal I thought he was decent yesterday and dealt very well with a number of one on ones, particularly in the second half. Like it or not ( I don't  ) Jurgen pushes the back four up to near the half way line and trusts offside to be our best defender, but if they the opposition have a speed merchant like Dango unchained as was the case yesterday we are always going to be playing percentages from balls over the top.

 

In VvD's defence also, Outtara would struggle to hit that perfect cross to Billing's feet one out of 10 times, and we looked fairly well covered in the middle.

[VladimirIlyich]

6 minutes ago, sir roger said:

Other than the casual way he failed to make sufficient effort on the goal I thought he was decent yesterday and dealt very well with a number of one on ones, particularly in the second half. Like it or not ( I don't  ) Jurgen pushes the back four up to near the half way line and trusts offside to be our best defender, but if they the opposition have a speed merchant like Dango unchained as was the case yesterday we are always going to be playing percentages from balls over the top.

 

In VvD's defence also, Outtara would struggle to hit that perfect cross to Billing's feet one out of 10 times, and we looked fairly well covered in the middle.

I think Konate,and yes again,Trent,were at fault after the cross was played in. These players do look like they are struggling to string two or three good games in a row together and that is often tiredness and lack of motivation,the latter in my opinion. There have to be big changes in the Summer,including a few surprises,otherwise we will be back to being a top 6 team with 3rd or 4th as our goal. I can't see Jurgen allowing that to happen though.

[Red Hot]

15 minutes ago, VladimirIlyich said:

I think Konate,and yes again,Trent,were at fault after the cross was played in. These players do look like they are struggling to string two or three good games in a row together and that is often tiredness and lack of motivation,the latter in my opinion. There have to be big changes in the Summer,including a few surprises,otherwise we will be back to being a top 6 team with 3rd or 4th as our goal. I can't see Jurgen allowing that to happen though.

Fabino was jogging back and well out of the picture as if he did not have a care in the world. 

[Barrington Womble]

45 minutes ago, SlugTrail said:

I didn't think Virg had a bad game yesterday, I was at the game and it deemed to be Konate going wandering that caused most of the problems. Solanke barely got a sniff.

I wasn't at the game I just watched at home. I thought he was poor and he was very poor on the goal. I didn't enjoy konate's performance either.

 

But I think my point here with vvd is he was a one man defence for years. He's not now and doesn't look like he will ever get back to close to those levels. But one of the things that made us the team we were was the level of vvd. If he can't get back there, we really need to think about the way we set up, as any old lump into a channel has us looking like we'll concede a goal. 

[El Rojo]

1 hour ago, Barrington Womble said:

I'm getting really worried about Virgil's form. He just seems mentally not to be in games. He's reacting slowly, he's mostly looking very not arsed. It's easy enough to get up for the big games, but we need to see him dominate attackers when we're playing shite too. He's having too many performances this season were he's making absolute no mark forwards look good. 

 

1 hour ago, Section_31 said:

 

Been the same with trent and sallah, they all genuinely look like they'd rather be doing something else with their day. I dunno the answer, maybe the result of coming so close last season then seeing it half turn to shit. Or the sheer mental exhaustion of it all having caught up with them.

 

Could be time for a rebuild, it happens.

Yeah, it seems similar with the three of them. Brilliant when we’re playing Man City or Man United but no real interest in scrapping against Palace or Bournemouth. I feared the worst when we didn’t score during our early dominance yesterday.

 

[DJLJ]

3 hours ago, Barrington Womble said:

I wasn't at the game I just watched at home. I thought he was poor and he was very poor on the goal. I didn't enjoy konate's performance either.

 

But I think my point here with vvd is he was a one man defence for years. He's not now and doesn't look like he will ever get back to close to those levels. But one of the things that made us the team we were was the level of vvd. If he can't get back there, we really need to think about the way we set up, as any old lump into a channel has us looking like we'll concede a goal. 

His waving of the arms afterwards was just classical. 

[Kevin D]

3 hours ago, Barrington Womble said:

I wasn't at the game I just watched at home. I thought he was poor and he was very poor on the goal. I didn't enjoy konate's performance either.

 

But I think my point here with vvd is he was a one man defence for years. He's not now and doesn't look like he will ever get back to close to those levels. But one of the things that made us the team we were was the level of vvd. If he can't get back there, we really need to think about the way we set up, as any old lump into a channel has us looking like we'll concede a goal. 

Wool.

[3 Stacks]

5 hours ago, Barrington Womble said:

I'm getting really worried about Virgil's form. He just seems mentally not to be in games. He's reacting slowly, he's mostly looking very not arsed. It's easy enough to get up for the big games, but we need to see him dominate attackers when we're playing shite too. He's having too many performances this season were he's making absolute no mark forwards look good. 

I may have said this before but his decline is going to be very ugly. The "not looking arsed" thing is his style. When the physical ability goes and he can't just react to what forwards do and beat them for pace and strength, he's going to be at fault for a tonne of goals. And then there's going to be the games where he tries to manage himself physically for the big ones. 

[Scott_M]

He needs his arse kick for yesterday. If he keeps chasing back, he cuts out that cross.

 

That is unacceptable at u12’s football, one of the worlds best defenders in recent years shouldn’t be doing that. 
 

That miss at the end of the first half was almost as bad. 
 

He was the most senior player on the pitch yesterday. Standards start with the captain. This type of sloppy shit is unacceptable. I hope some of our players had words with him yesterday.

[Barrington Womble]

31 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

I may have said this before but his decline is going to be very ugly. The "not looking arsed" thing is his style. When the physical ability goes and he can't just react to what forwards do and beat them for pace and strength, he's going to be at fault for a tonne of goals. And then there's going to be the games where he tries to manage himself physically for the big ones. 

 

Well I don't know if it matters if it's ugly or not. I'm just bothered about how we deal with it. Our system is built on him being a superstar 9/10 performer every week, doing his own job and others. If we can't get him back towards those levels, we need a new plan. Even what you mention that he's going to be inconsistent, that's never what you need out of a centre back. 

 

He's been back for a long time now from that injury and I just don't see him getting back to those old levels. 

[TheHowieLama]

Oy, Virg. Head the ball on goal please.

[Joey8FrogsLegs]

His performance yesterday was mixed. He did a lot of things well, not least dominating in the air both ends of the field. Also a couple of very good long range passes, something we miss whem he doesnt play. 
 

He’s still a very good CB, should be one of the best in the league, but his behaviour on their goal yesterday is happening too frequently now. Looks like a motivation/concentration thing, very similar to Trent. Also VVD looks to have lost a yard of pace, which is worrying.

[Code]

At fault for the goal, should have scored. 

[sir roger]

6 hours ago, Code said:

At fault for the goal, should have scored. 

It's not like his chance was a penalty or anything.

[Lee909]

19 minutes ago, sir roger said:

It's not like his chance was a penalty or anything.

 

It was just as easy though

[CapeRed]

20 hours ago, sir roger said:

Other than the casual way he failed to make sufficient effort on the goal I thought he was decent yesterday and dealt very well with a number of one on ones, particularly in the second half. Like it or not ( I don't  ) Jurgen pushes the back four up to near the half way line and trusts offside to be our best defender, but if they the opposition have a speed merchant like Dango unchained as was the case yesterday we are always going to be playing percentages from balls over the top.

 

In VvD's defence also, Outtara would struggle to hit that perfect cross to Billing's feet one out of 10 times, and we looked fairly well covered in the middle.

We had cover in the middle but ,not for the first time this season, I thought Trent was asleep at the far post.

[Bobby Hundreds]

5 hours ago, CapeRed said:

We had cover in the middle but ,not for the first time this season, I thought Trent was asleep at the far post.

It's mad how he can be completely oblivious to what's going on around him except when he has the ball and somebody out of sight is making a run. He's both the shittest and best full back I've seen. 

[CapeRed]

12 hours ago, Bobby Hundreds said:

It's mad how he can be completely oblivious to what's going on around him except when he has the ball and somebody out of sight is making a run. He's both the shittest and best full back I've seen. 

Wonderful player going forward just below average defending he just seems unaware of what is happening around him around the box.