Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk captained the Netherlands to a crucial 1-0 win over Ireland last night and earned positive reviews from the Dutch media.
Virgil van Dijk completed the full 90 minutes as Wout Weghorst’s 11th-minute effort handed Ronald Koeman’s men all three points.
The victory takes Holland a step closer to qualifying for the Euros, with a point against Gibraltar on Tuesday guaranteeing them a spot at next year’s tournament in Germany.
It’s fair to say the Netherlands haven’t been at their best during the qualifiers but Van Dijk has been in exceptional form for club and country.
Indeed, Alan Shearer recently claimed the Liverpool captain has rediscovered his best form under Jurgen Klopp this term.
And he continued his promising start to the season with a solid display against Ireland last night.
Dutch media impressed with Van Dijk’s latest international display
Football Oranje handed Van Dijk a seven out of 10 rating for his display and claimed he provided a cool head at the back for Holland on Saturday night.
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They wrote: “A calming presence at the back for the Netherlands, Van Dijk didn’t put a foot wrong all game and cleared anything that came his way.”
Voetbal Primeur were slightly less generous with their rating as they gave Van Dijk a six out of 10. But the outlet did note that Van Dijk impressed with the ball at his feet as he aimed to get Koeman’s side up the pitch.
“Solid, and that says most,” they said. “Van Dijk took the initiative in the build-up with De Vrij and Blind and did not feature much in the game himself. Defensively he held his own.”
Van Dijk endured a mixed campaign last time out as he struggled to find his best form for Liverpool.
The 32-year-old has arguably been one of the best centre-backs in the league so far this term though.
Many thought the £220,000-a-week defender had seen his best days in a Liverpool shirt following an ACL injury in the 2020-21 campaign.
But he’s returned to something close to his best form and helped Liverpool to an impressive start to the season.