Jamie Carragher has leapt to the defence of Virgil van Dijk and slammed comparisons between the Liverpool defender and former Manchester United player Nemanja Vidic.
Since signing for Jurgen Klopp for £75million in January 2018, the Dutchman's form has been instrumental to Liverpool, adjudged the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2018-19 before playing a pivotal role in their title win the following season. However, the form of the 31-year-old has undoubtedly dropped of late, and he again struggled during his side's dramatic 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.
His display has prompted online criticism. One account, @Football__Tweet, claimed that Van Dijk does not deserve to be mentioned in the same bracket as the Premier League's best ever: "Virgil Van Dijk's drop off is actually insane. People were comparing him to Terry, Kompany, Rio and Vidic," they wrote.
But Sky Sports pundit Carragher responded, arguing van Dijk's slump was temporary and slamming comparisons with ex-United captain Vidic in particular.
He said: "VVD is far better than Vidic, who was a top CB, but have you forgot his performances against Torres?
"Rio and JT had poor seasons in their career like all players, VVD is having one now. No CB in the PL era has ever had VVD’s impact on a team."
Carragher was referring to the famous clash between Liverpool and Man United back in March 2009, where Fernando Torres gave the Serbian a torrid time. He was eventually sent off amid a harrowing 4-1 home defeat, although it was United who would recover to take the title.
Carragher, 45, cut an animated figure during Sunday's pulsating clash, and hit out at Arsenal player Granit Xhaka following his on-field clash with Trent Alexander Arnold. He branded the midfielder "idiotic" after he appeared to try and wind up the home crowd in the aftermath of the incident.
"I think it did [get Liverpool going]," said Carragher after full-time. "It sounds silly, I’m glad Xhaka did it but I’m angry with Xhaka.
"I’m not an Arsenal fan but if I was an Arsenal fan, what are you doing, doing that? It’s absolutely daft. The game’s in your hands, you get involved - even leading the challenge with the arm, why do it? And now going back head-to-head with Trent riles the crowd up and it’s absolutely idiotic from Xhaka to do that.
"Do you know what? He’s been fantastic this season in a slightly different role higher up the pitch, had a huge impact on this team, but that was going back to the old Xhaka.
"Honestly, who knows if it leads to the goal, we don’t know, but it was just for an experienced player to do something like that in this ground, and the position they found themselves in, there was only one way Liverpool could get back into that game and that was with the help of the terraces."
