04 Jun 2023 13:47:57
Eds do you expect VVD to return to his high level next season if the midfield is strengthened, do you feel he was exposed to many times last season with the frailties of the midfield or has he maybe slightly regressed.
I personaly think he'll return to form if the team as a unit are back 'on it'.

{Ed001's Note - I don't think he can get back to where he was, he has lost his aura and that will never come back.}

1.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 14:10:44
I think it was his aura that largely made the team what it was. The confidence spread through all the other players on the pitch, it gave them the freedom to play without fear. That has completely gone and I don’t think we’ll get back the levels we were at until we find someone else who can provide that stability.

2.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 14:36:44
Yeah it’s a shame really. Think he has lost some pace which doesn’t help him as he doesn’t read the game very well and tends to switch off and with the lack of
Pace it doesn’t help him.

3.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 14:41:00
Actually liked his performances at the end of the season, happy to do things like putting it out for a throw if he had to. Know that sounds silly but still think the only thing stopping Virg from still being the best is his attitude. Might not be the athlete he used to be but can compensate for that through brains. Hope this season can be a wake up call for him and a few others.

4.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 16:06:13
Hope a good rest and preseason helps him regain something.

5.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 16:19:47
Virgil's don't grow on trees. He's a one-off. There's plenty there for him to work on, if he is hungry enough. He was much better in the last 10 games.

He might benefit from adding a bit more muscle as he's much leaner than pre-injury Virg. A bit of extra strength and muscle might help his own confidence which was lacking in parts of the season.

Yes, Saliba has had a good season but other than that there's no player that can make a Virg level impact on a defence - Gvardiol included.

We just need to establish some control of the space on the football pitch again and we'll be much much better. And Virg will benefit from that.

6.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 16:42:05
I think his demise has been massively over exaggerated. With the forward line and midfield defending the way they have for large periods of the season he was left so exposed I think even Maldini would’ve looked like Harry Maguire!

Playing the high line means a lot of running back towards your own goal which he has always dealt with really well. Normally though he’d only have to do it 4 or 5 times a game, this season it’s more like 10-15 times a game.

He was just knackered! Once the team is defending properly it will give him more time to recover between sprints which will allow him to defend properly and the aura will return.

7.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 17:11:19
Blame Pickford for that horrific tackle could have killed the boy! 25 going to love me for that ?.

8.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 18:24:28
And it's this kind of discussion that sickens me when you think that Pickford got away with that challenge. It's unacceptable. If it was an accident then fine but it was a deliberate - and bad - foul which caused a serious injury, he should have got a 10 game ban for it, as should any player who does the same.

9.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 19:39:09
Virgil won't ever be the same. Lost 2 yards of pace. He never looked out of second gear before now he's getting out sprinted. Can't say he was knackered he's a professional and elite athlete.

10.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 20:01:53
Players peak. Once they pass their peak then it’s one way. However, I don’t think Virgil can’t improve on last season. He’ll get better as Beckers Pecker says.

He’s still in the top 5 central defenders in the premier league. It’s a difficult league to defend in but he still excels in my opinion.

He may not reach previous highs but he’s still one of the best there is.

11.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 20:10:46
Jude N, that is what I thought of VVD as well. That said since he has lost his aura then, I think he has to knuckle down and start actually doing his job as in, actually defending rather than pointing to this or that team mate or moaning in the wind when we concede and part of the issue is his fault.

He needs to take responsibility for his performances and actually work a lot harder and improve his play rather than relying on just his natural ability cos thet's all gone now. Strikers ain't scared of him nor are they scared of taking him on and actually bullying him. Just my opinion.

12.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 20:13:18
I think the problem is more likely in his head rather than his fitness. I don’t think he has been the same since the injury. If we are building for the future I think he’d be one of the first players I’d look at replacing.

13.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 20:24:35
A more mobile midfield in front of him will undoubtedly help the cb pairing and also fullbacks. no doubt the injury took its toll mentally though. Still the best cb in premier league I reckon.

14.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 20:36:50
He's still a top player I wouldn't be looking to replace him for at least one more season. Just not the player he was.

15.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 21:36:00
It's not entirely coincidental that VVD's form during the last 10 games improved when the whole team was playing better too, is it? Obviously it's not, so much will depend on how much protection he is getting from the midfield, how much better we are playing as a team. Let's see how our new players contribute. But I do think that Klopp has to move away from the idea that VVD is still a 50-60 game player still. He needs to be backed up and rested far more often than before.

16.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 21:55:18
Great take Beckers. a lot of people judge football without ever having played and don't account for things like sprints/ recovery etc so its refreshing to see a realistic opinion.

17.) 04 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 21:58:07
Still our best defender for me. Hopefully the rest and a quality pre season will bring his spark back.

18.) 05 Jun 2023
04 Jun 2023 23:34:14
Mark agreed and from what Virgil said makes sense. Lost his pace for me but like to see him not be so passive. Virgil was in a league of his own before his injury still one of the top CBs in the PL.

19.) 05 Jun 2023
05 Jun 2023 00:02:35
Thanks Slimz I am speaking from personal experience having played as a right wing back for many years. The times I didn’t track a runner properly wasn’t because I was being lazy or couldn’t be bothered it was because I’d just done a high intensity sprint and my legs physically couldn’t carry me!

Our forward line has always done a great job defensively but that changed this season due to a change in personnel and tactics but more because of the injuries to Diaz and Jota.

That had a knock on effect to the midfield as they had to do some defending that the forwards would normally do which meant they had to run more often but even more importantly it stopped them being close enough to each other so they had to run further.

This then meant that the opposition midfield had more time to pick passes in behind us which in turn meant that the defenders had to run a lot more.

They are human beings no matter how fit they are they can’t sprint 40-50 meters at 100% intensity time after time for 90 minutes. Virgin is a big lad too and as you see with heavyweight boxers the bigger you are the more quickly you tire and the longer it takes you to recover.

I think some people think of it as a game of FIFA and expect these guys to run and run all day long without getting tired. Life isn’t like that unfortunately.

20.) 05 Jun 2023
05 Jun 2023 10:33:15
It's a really good point Beckers. Someone said above that you probably have to have played football to fully understand it, and they're correct. I always think the same when you see a forwards heel clipped ever so slightly and the commentator (who normally ranges from a bloke poached off Robot Wars to a slow defender who played 40 years ago) starts saying he went down easily. As if they understand how easy it is to knock you off balance at full tilt when you're actually a speedy winger running on your toes with the ball at your feet!

I also play mainly as a winger/ wing back and you're bang on. It's funny at Sunday league because if you're losing at half time it's always the 20 stone centre back who as he is sparking up a cigarette starts moaning that none of the healthy athletic lads are tracking back. Well I tell you what Big Kev, you play right wing and show me how it's done yeah? ? you're right though Beckers, It's bloody hard if you're back to backing high intensity sprints, and it only gets worse later in the game if it keeps happening.

21.) 05 Jun 2023
05 Jun 2023 17:08:40
I think it’s criminal that Vvd at 31 is getting out sprinted by younger forwards on the pitch a few times over the season.

When we bought him off Saints we over paid to his agent that he would never ever lose a Running race on the pitch. I hope we’ve kept the receipt.

22.) 05 Jun 2023
05 Jun 2023 17:45:32
I think when he is confidant of the team around him we will see the old Virg, he was let down time and time again by the midfield. Yes he had a bad season but when one part of the engine is broken the other parts have to work harder. Players make choices they would not normally expect to have to make and get caught out of position or lose possession. I think a revitalised midfield will be super helpful in getting Virg back.