"He stands and watches" - Pundit blasts Liverpool star after Leeds United loss

Former Liverpool star Steve Nicol has slammed Virgil van Dijk for his poor defending in the lead-up to Leeds United's winner against the Reds on Saturday (29th October).

Liverpool went into their match against Leeds on the back of a loss to bottom-placed Nottingham Forest in their last Premier League game. The Whites added to their woes by handing them a 2-1 defeat at Anfield.

A mix-up between Joe Gomez and Alisson allowed Rodrigo to put Leeds in front just four minutes into the game. Mohamed Salah equalized for the Reds 10 minutes later only for Crysencio Summerville to grab a late winner for the visitors.

Nicol is of the view that Van Dijk, who captained the side on the night, was at fault for Summerville's goal. The former Liverpool full-back criticized the Dutchman for failing to react to the attacker's move. He said on ESPN FC's YouTube channel:

"Van Dijk, with that last goal, he doesn't move his feet at all. Summerville gets it and he moves two different ways, the ball moves and he toe-pokes it into the goal."

"During that whole little spell, which, I understand, you're talking about a second, but it's a long time, Van Dijk doesn't move his feet or his body, he stands and watches."

Nicol went on to point out that the Anfield outfit's defending has taken a nosedive in recent times. He added:

"Not only Van Dijk, but a couple of years ago, that whole back four would have had Leeds camped in their own half. Two years ago, Liverpool defended as a unit."

"Today, Liverpool don't defend, whether it's at the top, the middle or the back. So, now, it's a cavalry charge."

In the 12 Premier League games that Van Dijk has been in defense, the Reds have conceded a whopping 15 goals this season, keeping a meager four clean sheets.

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What next for Liverpool?

The defeat to Leeds on Saturday marked the Reds' first home defeat of the season across all competitions. It also saw Van Dijk's 70-game unbeaten run at Anfield with the club come to an end.

The Merseyside-based club now find themselves sitting ninth in the Premier League table. They have just 16 points to their name, having won four, drawn four and lost four of their 12 matches so far.

Klopp and Co. will now look to bounce back from their defeat when they face Napoli in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday (1st November). They will be looking for revenge after the Partenopei handed them an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at the Stadio Diego Aramando Maradona.