Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has admitted he “so happy” to have Virgil van Dijk as his team-mate as the Reds lead the Premier League at Christmas.
The Reds hadn’t been given much breathing space by Manchester City at the top of the table this season, but slip ups against Chelsea and Crystal Palace in the last fortnight have seen Pep Guardiola’s men fall four points behind the Reds.
Five things to know about Liverpool’s unbeaten streak…
- Anfield is a fortress: Callum Paterson’s goal for Cardiff was the first Liverpool had let in at home since February, ending a run of 918 Premier League minutes without conceding.
- Liverpool won their opening six competitive matches of the season for the first time since 1961-62.
- They’ve only conceded seven goals this season, the joint fewest number of goals let in before Christmas in the Premier League.
- They keep clean sheets: Alisson has kept 11 clean sheets, the most in the Premier League.
- Virgil van Dijk: Despite his huge price tag he’s proven to be priceless this season. In his last outing the Dutchman won 100% of his aerial duels and leads his team mates in multiple areas this season.
One player who has been instrumental in Liverpool’s success this season is Van Dijk, who has presided over a defensive unit that has conceded the fewest number of goals in the league this season.
Van Dijk’s efforts have been lauded by Mane, who is confident that fans and commentators will understand why the club forked out £75m for him in January.
“It’s been a big, big impact. We’ve all seen it. Of course at the time he signed people were thinking that the club had overpaid for Virgil,” he told Goal.
Virgil van Dijk for Liverpool in the Premier League since his debut:
Most touches (2,846)
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“But since then everyone has forgotten about the fee because his form has been so good. He’s done such a great job for us back there. I am so happy to have him as a team-mate.
“He’s one of the leaders. You can see it in every single game. He has proved he’s one of the best defenders in the world.”
“I said to Virgil: ‘Finally, you have scored in the Premier League for us!’” Mane joked.
“It had been a long time. Everyone is happy for him and he’s such a good player that I’m sure that more goals will follow for him.”
Behind Liverpool’s record-breaking defence.
Liverpool have only conceded seven goals after 18 games this season, equalling the record set by Chelsea in 2008/09 under then-manager Felipe Scolari
Jurgen Klopp’s success in his own half could be explained by his players spending little time there. The Reds only spend 22% of time in their own half, they don’t give away many fouls – the second fewest in the league (17) – and, on average, the Reds score after 32 minutes allowing them to shut up shop early.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has been particularly impressed with his former club’s defensive performances this term: “This team defensively are breaking club records that you’d never thought would be beaten,” he told Sky.
“That’s testament to the players at the back and also Jurgen Klopp for doing something I didn’t think he was capable of doing when he came in. I didn’t see this coming,” he added.
“You can’t go from being a team that concedes 50 goals a season and then got to this without something incredible happening. It’s personnel, obviously, but also the work they are doing and their attitude towards defending. They were a soft touch and now they are a real team. It’s incredible really.”
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