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#1 Virgil Van Dijk outperformed them both in all competitions
A little over a year ago, the word solid and Liverpool's defense could not be used in the same sentence. The Reds, while offering attacking thrill, had a weak defence, with goalkeepers and defenders combining to lose the club matches.
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However, all that has changed since the arrival of Virgil van Dijk for a world record fee of £75m from Southampton. Under his watch, the 27-year-old has helped transform Liverpool's defence from calamitous into impenetrable with his leadership ability, superb tackling and positioning.
He helped Liverpool set up the meanest defence in England, conceding just 22 goals all season. More proof of his impact is the fact that no player has dribbled past the Netherlands international in his last 64 matches for Liverpool.
It's even more impressive considering the center-back has come up against virtually every world-class forward operating in the game today, including the likes of Messi, Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero, Robert Lewandowski, Eden Hazard, Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez.
His displays helped Liverpool to their thrilling but ultimately heartbreaking Premier League title tilt, but he was not to be denied in the Champions League. He has also captained Netherlands to the semi-final of the maiden UEFA Nations League, topping a group that included the last two World Cup winners.
Van Dijk was deservedly named the PFA Players' Player of the Year, becoming the first defender since John Terry in 2005 to win the award and on the strength of his performance across all competitions, he deserves to be the first defender to win football's premier individual prize since Fabio Cannavaro.
