Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has accused Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk of being a “serial offender” when it comes to collisions that he gets away with inside and outside of the penalty area — suggesting the Dutchman gets away with offenses more than other center-backs.
Hackett has picked out eight instances when he believes Van Dijk was lucky to get away with fouls that weren’t picked up by the referee or the VAR. This comes off the back of the Liverpool man avoiding giving away a penalty kick against Fulham when he collided with Rodrigo Muniz.
In truth, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher — after he caught Andreas Pereira after the Fulham midfielder had knocked the ball past him — was luckier to escape without giving away a spot kick. That was checked and cleared by the VAR, Matt Donohue, with Van Dijk adjudged not to have committed a foul either.
“One of the things we need to understand is that, one hour before a game kicks off, Van Dijk will, with his manager, go into the referee’s dressing room and be introduced,” Hackett told The Telegraph. “He will then be seen as a bit of a conduit between the officials and the players in terms of behavior.
“I just wonder whether the conversations between the referee and Van Dijk are fairly amicable and that the referees are falling into a trap. There is no doubt, as far as I’m concerned, that this player has become a serial offender, and match officials are failing to apply the appropriate sanctions.”
Hackett said that incidents including Van Dijk’s supposed “elbow” on Richarlison against Spurs and his barge on Anthony Gordon this season should have been red cards. Neither incident was given either on-field or after a VAR review.
(Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Van Dijk spoke to reporters following his side’s defeat at Craven Cottage and revealed that progress is being made on his contract situation. The Liverpool ace is set to be a free agent at the end of the season as things stand.
“There is progress, yes,” Van Dijk confirmed. When pressed on whether that meant he would sign an extension, he replied: “I don’t know; we’ll see. These are internal discussions.
“I love the club, I love the fans and they were there for us again [against Fulham]. We wanted to reward them but I ask them to be there again on Sunday [against West Ham] and make the stadium an amazing venue like always for us.”
Liverpool.com says: Van Dijk, like every defender, has got away with a couple of things. That is normal, though. There is no specific agenda for or against the Liverpool captain and suggesting so is a little silly. Are officials really influenced by meeting Van Dijk before a game kicks off? Clearly that is not the case.
