Virgil van Dijk has already put a dent in Arsenal’s title-challenge this season, and not only because of his excellent performances in Liverpool’s run of wins.
At the Emirates Stadium back in October, Van Dijk levelled the score at 1-1 shortly after Bukayo Saka put Arsenal ahead.
The game finished 2-2 after Arsenal were weakened by injuries to Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber in the second half, a missed chance the club will still regret.
That being said, Van Dijk even once thwarted Arsenal back in his days playing for Southampton.
Back in 2015, the Dutchman started in 4-0 win for Southampton over Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, a team that included the likes of Mesut Ozil and Petr Cech.
Of course, Van Dijk is unlikely to beat Arsenal by a similar scoreline today, and that’s partly because of the quality of William Saliba.
Virgil van Dijk asked to summarise William Saliba in one word
Alongside Van Dijk, Saliba is arguably the best centre-back in the Premier League, a duo that would form an immense partnership.
That being said, Van Dijk was asked to summarise the Arsenal defender in one word whilst appearing in a video for Goal.
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The Liverpool defender played word association with the FIFPRO Men’s World 11 defensive nominees.
Van Dijk simply said ‘strong’ when it came to Saliba, a player he’s often dueled with since the Frenchman arrived in England.
Incidentally, Van Dijk called himself ‘composed’, a compliment that could easily have been thrown in Saliba’s direction too.
| Name | Description |
| Antonio Rudiger | Beast |
| Dani Carvajal | Solid |
| Ruben Dias | Slide tackle |
| Virgil van Dijk | Composed |
| Jeremie Frimpong | Rapid |
| William Saliba | Strong |
| Kyle Walker | Fast |
Virgil van Dijk admits that he never as good as William Saliba
Incidentally, that’s not the first time that the Liverpool captain has been complimentary about Saliba
Speaking on the ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’ podcast at the end of October, Van Dijk admitted that he was no where near as good as 23-year-old Saliba at the same age.
Van Dijk was still playing for Celtic until he was 24, a sign of how much success Saliba could still have in the next decade or so.
Van Dijk said: “Obviously, Saliba’s making very good steps at the moment. He’s the first one I just have in mind now. He’s a solid one. I think in possession, he’s doing a good job.
“I think, if I’m honest, when I was that age, I was nowhere near where he was today.
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