Liverpool News: Virgil Van Dijk’s Work Ethic Criticized By Former Star

KEY POINTS

Wim Kieft criticized Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk’s attitude
Kieft emphasized that a lot can be improved in Van Dijk’s work ethic
Van Dijk is Netherland’s team captain

Netherlands great Wim Kieft criticized Liverpool’s center back Virgil Van Dijk’s attitude as a player. The former Ajax star mentioned that Van Dijk’s work ethic needs to have some adjustments to avoid complacency on the field.

“He is not sharp, he behaves with the Oranje and Liverpool like the finished star, the great coaching leader, who shows a little too much that he does not like his fellow players,” Kieft said as reported by Goal.

Throughout Van Dijk’s career with Liverpool, he has been in 125 appearances and has scored 13 times and notched six assists.

“At the same time, he plays lazy and nonchalant himself. He makes mistakes and often runs away from defensive handiwork in matches. With his status, he should be at the forefront of the battle,” Kieft continued.

These comments are coming from Kieft’s experience as one of the craftiest players during his time. In his stay with Eredivisie, he led the team in scoring on two separate occasions. His longest stint was with PSV Eindhoven where he played in 218 games and scored 103 times to go along with 37 assists.

Given that Van Dijk is the team captain of the Netherlands team, Kieft is anticipating a lot from the 29-year-old standout.

“It took Van Dijk a long time to get to the top international level. He has been there for about two seasons now, but it is important that Van Dijk remains very critical of himself. His environment also plays an important role in this,” Kieft added.

Expectations are high for Van Dijk with how he is scouted to be an excellent passer and a strong defensive presence on the field. In the past two UEFA Nations League performances of Van Dijk, he’s averaged 3.5 clearances for the Netherlands.

“It's okay if his trainers shake him up a lot,” Kieft emphasized.

The recent Premier League has Liverpool currently undefeated in their first two games of the season. They are coming off a 2-0 win against Chelsea where Sadio Mane stood out with a brace.

It will be interesting to see how Van Dijk will take the constructive comments of Kieft and how he applies it to his game moving forward.