Despite proving his talent as a free-kick specialist at previous clubs, Virgil van Dijk has revealed why he hasn’t taken on regular set-piece duties at Liverpool.
During his stints with FC Groningen, Celtic, and Southampton, Van Dijk demonstrated his ability from distance, netting four of his first 22 club goals from set-pieces.
Fans have often wondered why the Dutch defender hasn’t been more involved in free-kicks at Liverpool. Instead, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, and more recently, Dominik Szoboszlai have taken on these responsibilities, with varying success.
In an interview with Ben Foster for Amazon Prime, Van Dijk explained why he hasn’t pushed for the role.
“People often forget we have a very talented free-kick taker in Trent. He’s exceptional – as you might recall!” Van Dijk told Foster, who conceded an Alexander-Arnold free-kick while playing for Watford in 2018.
“When something works well, there’s no need to change it much. You obviously need to practice and perfect it, but I’ve stepped back because Trent excels at it. I want him to be more consistent, but his record and the goals he’s scored show he can be outstanding.”
Alexander-Arnold has indeed shown his skill, with 10 of his 23 career goals coming from direct free-kicks, plus another from a quick layoff.
Given Van Dijk’s capabilities, it’s surprising he hasn’t taken more free-kicks. However, at 33, he prefers to trust Alexander-Arnold to hone his skills further.
There might come a time for Van Dijk to take up free-kick duties, but for now, he supports Alexander-Arnold’s continued improvement in this area.
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