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Why evergreen Van Dijk remains Liverpool's key player

ByTom McCoy

BBC Sport journalist

While all eyes this season have been on new recruits, Virgil van Dijk has again been one of Liverpool's outstanding performers, vindicating the decision to hand him a new two-year contract in April.

The Dutchman may have turned 34 in July but he shows no sign of slowing down and remains one of the world's best centre-backs.

Van Dijk has had to cope with an increased workload recently, with Liverpool's attacking revamp at times leaving them vulnerable on the break. Those teething troubles have contributed to the Reds conceding twice in four of their six matches so far this term.

Liverpool's captain has therefore been busy, averaging more clearances per 90 minutes (9.5) and more successful aerial duels (6.3) than in any of his previous Premier League campaigns.

In fact, he leads the league in a number of metrics, making more clearances, winning more aerial duels and completing more passes than any other player.

He has won 31 duels in total, placing him tied for 3rd in the league.

While it is not uncommon for defenders in possession-heavy sides to dominate passing statistics, Van Dijk's distribution, particularly his raking diagonal switches of play, remains a key part of Liverpool's build-up.

He has played 430 passes into the final third since the start of last season, more than anyone else in the Premier League.

Plus, his tally of 170 successful long passes during this period is bettered by only Bruno Fernandes and Joachim Andersen among outfield players.

This Opta graphic illustrates Virgil van Dijk's long passes for Liverpool in the Premier League during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.
He attempted a total of 309 long passes, defined as any pass traveling further than 32 meters or launched.
Of these, 170 were successful and 139 were unsuccessful, resulting in a 55% accuracy rate.
The red arrows indicate successful passes, while the gray arrows represent unsuccessful passes, showing the attacking direction of these passes across the pitch.

Yet, Van Dijk's most important work comes in both boxes. Early in his Liverpool career, he went 64 matches in a row without an opponent dribbling past him. These days beating the Dutchman is not quite so rare, though it has only happened five times in his past 26 league appearances.

At the other end, he is a potent threat from corners, as Atletico Madrid discovered. Only three players have registered more headed attempts at goal in this season's Premier League, all of whom are centre-forwards.

Van Dijk will be a week shy of his 36th birthday by the time his current contact expires, which begs the question how long he can maintain this level of performance – and how can Liverpool extend his shelf life?

The defender said in 2023 that the increasingly busy football calendar threatens the welfare of elite players, external, and his minutes will have to be managed sensibly during the autumn of his career.

He has started more than 40 league games in all but one of his seven full seasons at Anfield and when Liverpool do eventually replace Van Dijk it is likely to be costly and difficult.