Liverpool: Ex-Man Utd man reveals ‘one reason why’ Reds will win Premier League title
Ex-Man Utd defender Gary Pallister believes Virgil van Dijk is the “one reason” why Liverpool are “looking like a Premier League-winning side again”.
Liverpool have been relentless this season, winning nine of their opening 11 Premier League matches.
That record unsurprisingly has them at the top of the table, five points clear of champions Manchester City and nine ahead of Arsenal.
Transitioning from Jurgen Klopp to Arne Slot has been seamless and former Man Utd centre-back Pallister thinks the Dutchman has found the “perfect balance” in his team.
“Liverpool have the perfect balance at the moment, and that’s so hard to find in any team,” he said.
“You’ve players like Trent Alexander-Arnold whose greatest attributes aren’t defending, but what he gives you on the ball with his vision and the delivery of those passes is unbelievable. Then they’ve got Mohamed Salah who keeps on scoring goals, so they’ve got the balance right at the moment.
“However, it’s having a good defence that always gives you the confidence that one goal can win you the game.
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“If you look back to the Premier League-winning teams of George Graham when he had that back-four at Arsenal and how many games they used to win 1-0, it was because their defence was such a solid unit.
“You’ve still got to have that balance of trusting your players at the back as well as being confident further up the pitch.
“You can leave Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate at the back one-vs-one, and you know they’ll manage the situation, which means you can commit more people forward. They’re a huge reason as to why they’re top of the table at the moment.”
Pallister says Van Dijk is the reason why Liverpool are performing so well this season and believes he is one of the best defenders in Premier League history.
He added: “Virgil van Dijk had that cruciate ligament injury which certainly looked a struggle for him in his first season back and I wondered whether he’d ever been the same player again.
“That said, I think he’s back to his very best now like he was in those first two years for Liverpool when he was outstanding. He’s up there in the list of the greatest centre backs the Premier League has ever seen.
“When you look players like Tony Adams, John Terry and Vincent Kompany, they’re the markers, so Van Dijk is certainly in the conversation with those names.
“I hate to say it, but he looks back to his best in a very strong Liverpool team and I think he’s one reason why they’re looking like a Premier League-winning side again.”
