Liverpool is only one point behind Manchester City going into the Etihad Stadium, and their recovery has been largely down to Virgil van Dijk’s comeback.

At this time last year, Virgil van Dijk was set to head to Qatar for the World Cup, where he would play every minute of the Netherlands’ journey to the last eight, which ended in a penalty shootout loss to Argentina. He had started 21 of Liverpool’s 22 games at the time.

After returning to Liverpool, he had a turbulent campaign, with only one break in the second half resulting from a hamstring injury sustained in January. By then, he had started an incredible 91 matches for both club and country in less than 18 months. That was all on top of a serious knee problem.

It makes sense that his hamstring would give out and that his form would deteriorate to what he called “mediocre, sometimes even bad” levels last week. After suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury, similar to the one he did in 2020, most players are gradually returned to play. Not Van Dijk.

The need for Liverpool was too high. In response, he assisted them in reaching the verge of an unprecedented quadruple in 2021/22. However, the workload had a severe cost. The 32-year-old is only now, three years after the injury, beginning to resemble his former self.

He said, “My injury was very serious,” one week prior. “It is not shocking that you need to reacquaint yourself with your knee. However, I no longer notice it. Not much has to alter in my playing style. I think I’m capable of doing anything again.”

That is how it appears as well. Liverpool was 15 points off the top of the standings and languishing in ninth place at this point in the previous season. Currently, they are in second place, trailing leaders Manchester City by just one point, despite their superior statistical position.

 

Their free-scoring offense is largely to blame, but Van Dijk has also been a key contributor. Even while there are still problems with midfield balance ahead of him, a player who at times last season seemed to have lost his aura is now dominating. “Things have been going very well again since the summer,” he stated.

Liverpool has only suffered one defeat in the Premier League this year thanks to his assistance. They have only let up 10 goals, which is tied with Arsenal for the fewest in the division. Before the international break, the team defeated Brentford 3-0 to record their third straight clean sheet in four games.

Although Van Dijk has been there the entire time, his playing time is now regulated differently than it was before. In the Europa League, he has not yet played a single minute. He hasn’t even been a member of the team for two of their four group matches.

A closer examination of the data highlights his superiority, and the rest keeps him rested for the more difficult tasks. Though his explosive speed may have diminished from his early years, the Dutchman has rarely been this challenging to defeat.

Opta reports that he is winning 82.5% of his duels and an even larger percentage of his aerials (82.3%), up from 69.5% and 73.7% of those matches, respectively, in the previous season.

There isn’t a single player in the Premier League winning this many duels. Of course, it’s only a sample of 10 games, but even so, his success percentage this campaign is higher than it has ever been.

Compared to the previous season, in instance, when Van Dijk was dribbled past 11 times—his highest-ever total—it is a stark contrast.Reminiscent of his incredible 2018–19 season, he is the only center-back in the competition who has started every game and has not been dribbled past once thus far this season.There have been sporadic errors, such as Aleksandar Isak’s last-man foul in the victory against Newcastle in August and the poorly timed pass that let Brighton to score their first goal in the 2-2 draw at the Amex Stadium in October.Overall, though, the athlete appears to have regained his sharpness. It is observable both within and without it. Van Dijk’s completion rate of passes, both short and long, is increasing. His loses in possession have decreased by over twenty percent.Given the bar he has set and the environment he is operating in, he is exceeding expectations once more, which is no small accomplishment. “It’s the hardest job to be a center back at a top club,” Jamie Carragher said in his October Daily Telegraph column.It’s now the hardest position to fill on the field. Along with every other asset, you require the quickness of an attacker and the technical proficiency of a midfielder.”In addition to bringing all of that, Van Dijk has assumed even greater responsibility by leading Liverpool as captain. According to recent data, receiving Jordan Henderson’s wristband has been more beneficial than detrimental. He has the same perspective.”There is a lot involved, perhaps even more at the club than with the national team,” he stated last week. However, it doesn’t hurt my game in any way. It functions more as a motivator.”Not only has he guided Liverpool’s young players—such as center-back Jarell Quansah, who has called playing with Van Dijk “24-7 learning”—but he has also led the team through trying times, such as the historic kidnapping of Luis Diaz’s parents.His teammates believe that he has adapted to becoming captain with ease. “It’s been really impressive to see him take it on,” Joe Gomez stated in a recent interview with Sky Sports. “He will impose himself, speak to us and shout at us if he needs to.”It is just one more way that he is giving back, and it is obvious that both his physical and mental well-being have improved. Van Dijk linked his ACL tear to his “world collapsing” during the previous campaign. Subsequently, he faced difficult times with both his country and club.However, he has moved past all of that, and Liverpool is reaping the rewards.The trip to Etihad Stadium on Saturday will put their title credentials to the test. Caution is required due to their midfield troubles. Even so, they are just a little bit behind schedule. And Van Dijk is largely to blame for that.