Liverpool were crowned Champions League winners on Saturday evening after seeing off Tottenham at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano. It will come as little surprise to many that one of the stand-out performers was defender Virgil van Dijk, who capped a marvellous season with another excellent display.
What was more surprising was the way in which Liverpool played. Buoyed by an early penalty, converted by Mohamed Salah, the Reds sat back and opted for a primarily defensive set-up. That only increased the importance of the presence of the Dutch defender, who continued to lead by example and organise the backline.
This tactical analysis uses statistics and analysis to consider the key elements of Van Dijks performance, from defensive to offensive as he proved pivotal at both ends of the pitch.
Anticipation
Van Dijk looked calm and relaxed throughout, but there was one moment which was particularly important as it proved to be somewhat of a landmark moment. It came late on in the game as Liverpool began to show signs of tiring as Tottenham grew back into the tie. Trent Alexander-Arnold had carried the ball forwards and been caught out of position following a turnover. This meant that Joel Matip was forced to cover him as Harry Kane exploited the space on the right, consequently dragging away Van Dijks defensive partner as Son beat Fabinho and was almost one-on-one with the Liverpool number four.
The real genius from Van Dijk came in a moment which created panic in the stands. As Son edged nearer to the Dutchman, the defender slowed his run. For a split second, it looked like Son was going to beat him for pace when Van Dijk was actually preventing the real threat of Son cutting to the right. That would immediately put the action in Van Dijks favour, allowing him to show Son wide rather than allowing him a free pass straight down the middle.
Having shown Son out towards the left, as he came into the box he knew that he would have to move back centrally otherwise he would be firing a tame effort at Alisson Beckers near post. That meant that he would have to cross Van Dijk, who had kept pace, and stuck out a foot to coolly clear the ball for a corner quick and to put an end to Spurs biggest threat up to that point.
