Paul Ince has likened Virgil van Dijk’s impact at Liverpool to that of Eric Cantona’s at Man Utd and believes the Dutchman can be the “final piece in the jigsaw” as Liverpool look to end their 29-year title drought.
Van Dijk has won more aerial duels (184) and made more interceptions (45) than any other Liverpool player since joining the club in January 2018 and has been instrumental to improving Jurgen Klopp’s defence.
Is Van Dijk Liverpool’s Cantona? Here is what you need to know…
- When Cantona arrived at Man Utd in 1992, the club were without a top-flight title since 1967.
- The Frenchman’s presence was quickly felt and the Red Devils secured the 1992/93 title, which led to an era of domination over their domestic rivals.
- Liverpool are without a league title in 29 years.
- Van Dijk’s arrival at Anfield has seen the Reds tighten up at the back and Klopp’s side are now top of the Premier League with 13 games left to play this season.
- Ince believe’s Van Dijk’s effect on Merseyside is similar to the one Cantona had on Utd when he first signed at Old Trafford.
The Reds top the Premier League table having lost just one league game all season, conceding just 15 goals in their 25 matches so far.
Ince, who made a combined 362 appearances for Liverpool and Man Utd, believes Van Dijk is having a similar effect to that of Cantona when the Frenchman joined Sir Alex Ferguson’s side in 1992.
“When we brought Eric Cantona in, it was the final piece of the jigsaw,” Ince told the Times.
“When he came into the changing room for the first time, he was a big man, a big presence of a man, and his attitude matched our attitude. He had a will to win titles, he wanted to be successful.
“Are we talking about the same thing with Virgil van Dijk? Is he the one?
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“The goalkeeper [Alisson] has come in and done well but I look at Van Dijk and think he has made the rest of the players around him better.
“Liverpool have that presence about them. That presence that we had. Teams have got to be scared about coming up against you. People look and think, ‘Jesus, we have got Liverpool next week.’
“This team has that now and that is a good quality to have when you are going for a title.”
Klopp: We can handle the title pressure
Liverpool’s laboured performance in their last two matches has led some pundits to question whether Klopp’s squad are beginning to falter under the pressure of hanging on to top spot in the Premier League.
However, the German has dismissed this talk, highlighting Liverpool’s run to last season’s Champions League final as an example of how his players can handle these intense situations.
“Our tool to sort the situation is football. Our tool is football. That is the only thing we can do,” Klopp told Liverpool’s official website ahead of Monday’s draw with West Ham United.
“Yes, there is pressure. There was pressure last year, a lot of pressure when we played Man City away in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, and we dealt with it.
“There was pressure at Rome, there was pressure in so many moments in the Premier League. We had to win each game because Chelsea were constantly chasing us. That is the only way we can do it.”
He added: “Will there be nervous moments? Yes, for sure. Don’t make them bigger than they are because there were nervous situations last year, two years ago, three years ago.”
Host Jake Entwistle is joined by Sam Long and Will Hall for this week’s Squawka Talker to discuss Man City 3-1 Arsenal, the Bundesliga title race, Gonzalo Higuain’s start to life at Chelsea, the best of the rest beyond the ‘Big Six’ and the upcoming El Clasico.
The post Van Dijk can be Liverpool’s Cantona, insists Ince appeared first on Squawka News.
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