It was in the dressing room at Wembley that Virgil van Dijk looked at the camera focused on him by the Liverpool club cameraman and said with a smile: “And they said I was finished.”
If anyone did think that the Liverpool centre-back was done, then they have proven to be drastically wide of the mark. Van Dijk’s recent form has been nothing short of superb and he has led from the back as Liverpool continue their hunt for four trophies this season.
The reason why some believed that the 32-year-old Dutchman was past his best was that his recovery from a serious cruciate knee injury had taken a lot out of him and his return to the side coincided with an underwhelming season overall for the club.
It would be fair to say that last season Van Dijk was not performing at the high levels he had set himself during his first couple of years at the club. There were times when he seemed a shadow of the uber presence that commanded Liverpool’s defence in previous seasons.
Failing to secure a top-four league spot, being eliminated from the Champions League at the round-of-16 stage and struggling to make an impact in either domestic cup competition added to the sense that Liverpool were floundering and Van Dijk’s struggles were a part of the reason behind it.
This season, however, has been like a comeback year for Van Dijk. Just like the wider team, he has shown that the past 12 months were nothing more than a blip. Perhaps overexertion was a contributing factor.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has said that last season was the first time Van Dijk’s performances were not in the top five of any player in any position. That only highlights the level of consistency that the former Celtic defender has displayed since he arrived on Merseyside.
The start of this current season was viewed as a changing of the guard at Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp saw Jordan Henderson, the club captain, leave along with James Milner, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino, who were all considered leaders in the Liverpool changing room.
There were questions whether Klopp would have enough senior pros around to ensure that the transition in the Liverpool squad would be smooth. Van Dijk was the natural successor to Henderson and his appointment as the new captain has worked out well.
Van Dijk appears to be relishing captain's responsibility
Since assuming the captaincy, Van Dijk was returned to the player he looked when first signing for Liverpool in 2018, as if the responsibility has restored his level. Whenever you see Van Dijk on the pitch, there is a sense of Liverpool being his team and a determination to disprove that the suggestion that the Klopp era was done last summer.
It was evident when he failed to be beaten in last month’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea and scored the winning goal in the 118th minute. That led to him lifting his first piece of silverware as captain and was one example of Van Dijk leading by example.
He has also made the captaincy his own. Introducing a huddle with his team-mates shortly before kick-off to Liverpool’s pre-game routine was one such move and viewed as a powerful way of showing the team’s togetherness as he goes through some last-minute instructions.
Van Dijk’s availability has also been vital during this campaign when Liverpool have struggled with injuries. He has featured in 31 of the team’s 43 matches to date and has been a dependable figure, bringing the best out of whoever partners him, whether that be Ibrahima Konate or 21-year-old Jarell Quansah.
Van Dijk is in contention to be the Premier League’s Player of the Season, along with Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Phil Foden, who he will face when Manchester City visit Anfield on Sunday.
Liverpool’s hosting of City could be defining for this season’s title race, with the home team currently one point ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side. It will be Erling Haaland, scorer of 28 goals so far this season, who draws Van Dijk’s attention this weekend.
“It’s obviously going to be a massive game for both sides and I’m really looking forward to the challenge of facing the treble winners,” Van Dijk said. “It’s always good to come up against one of the best and most in-form strikers in the world.
“He is a natural goalscorer, he has proven it and his numbers are speaking for themselves so it will be a tough afternoon but it’s a battle I am looking forward to.
“There’s too long to go [to label this a title decider]. Obviously it is a massive game, you can’t deny that. We want to get a good result. That’s the only thing we will try and do, not going out there to make statements.”
The climax of Van Dijk’s first season with the armband could be remarkable and if Liverpool were to win a second league title of Klopp’s tenure this season, it would be even sweeter for Van Dijk given everything he has gone through since the last one in 2020.