KOLO TOURE has exposed what he claims is Virgil van Dijk’s secret weakness.
Despite centre-back Van Dijk’s sensational last two seasons for Liverpool, Leicester coach and ex-Reds’ defender Toure believes the £75million Dutchman is vulnerable “one on one” against “aggressive” strikers.
Virgil van Dijk was runner-up in the 2019 Ballon d’Or but ex-Liverpool defender Kolo Toure believes he knows the Dutchman’s one vulnerabilityCredit: Reuters
Leicester coach Kolo Toure is well-placed to judge the talents of Virgil van Dijk as the Ivorian was a top centre-back for Arsenal, Man City and LiverpoolCredit: Getty Images – Getty
But Toure’s assessment of the 2019 Champions League and 2020 Premier League winner is no hatchet job.
Few men are more qualified to assess Van Dijk, who spent 14 years at the top of the Premier League at Arsenal, Manchester City and Anfield in the same position.
And while Toure, who won two Premier League titles and two FA Cups, believes the ex-Southampton ace has “got everything” this includes one potential frailty.
He told Stats Perform News: “I haven’t seen many players challenge him one on one.
He’s so clever because he drops well, but if you are really aggressive in a one-on-one, I think you can get something from him.
Kolo Toure
“In my opinion, that’s his weakness! He’s really tall and if you really attack him with the ball, he can struggle, but he’s so clever.
“He’s so clever because he drops well, but if you are really aggressive in attack in a one-on-one, I think you can get something from him.
“He’s a really clever player. He’s got Joe Gomez on his side, good players on his side to help him as well.
“There are good players around him and I think that makes his game easy.”
But just in case that sounds like undervaluing Van Dijk, Toure stresses: “He’s a top player.
“He’s got speed, height, he can jump. He’s got technique. He can switch the game with his long passes. He’s got everything.”
Van Dijk, 29, was 2019 players’ player of the year and Ballon d’Or runner-up.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
