Pundit questions Liverpool star's dip in form for club and country this season

ESPN pundit Craig Burley has raised concerns with Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk amid question marks over his leadership.

Van Dijk has come under scrutiny for his leadership of both the Reds and the Netherlands. The 32-year-old replaced Jordan Henderson as Jurgen Klopp's side's captain in the summer.

Several former Dutch players including Marco van Basten have taken aim at Van Dijk. Burley has alluded to this when questioning his role as a leader at Liverpool (via HITC):

"Last year, he was smarting a little at the criticism that came his way and he got a bit techy in some of the interviews. He has had a lot of praise, and rightly so. But It’s not just in England where they have been looking at him and saying ‘Are you leading this team like you were?’"

Van Basten vented his frustrations with Van Dijk during the Netherlands' 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign. He believed that the Reds skipper should have come to the fore more:

"I think Virgil should play the leading role in that. He talks a lot but says nothing."

Burley added that he's now making glaring mistakes including one that led to Klopp's side conceding in a 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion:

“But in Holland also, he has had a lot of ex-players very vocal about his leadership skills for his country. Not suggesting that everything that happens at Liverpool or Holland is all his fault."

Burley continued:

"But he the talisman he has become, he is starting to be questioned for club and country. One of the balls he played to Mac Allister. The camera panned straight to Mac Allister after the goal.”

Van Dijk has been a mainstay in Liverpool's side since joining from Southampton in 2018. He's made 229 appearances, a massive part of Klopp's successful reign at Anfield. The Dutchman has won the UEFA Champions League, the Premier League, the FA Cup and the League Cup.

However, the Netherlands captain suffered an ACL injury in 2020 and perhaps hasn't looked the same dominant defender he was before then. He's appeared seven times across competitions this season.

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Liverpool's Van Dijk admits the Netherlands were undone by France's Kylian Mbappe's excellence

Virgil van Dijk was unable to contain Kylian Mbappe.

The Netherlands suffered a 2-1 defeat to France in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier on October 13. Kylian Mbappe bagged a brace as Les Bleus qualified for the European Championships in Germany next year.

However, it was a disappointing night for Ronald Koeman's Oranje who sit third in Group B, three points behind second-placed Greece. They face Gus Poyet's side tomorrow (October 16) in a vital qualifier.

Van Dijk conceded that the Netherlands should have done better to prevent Mbappe from striking twice. He told L'Equipe:

"I think there were moments when we were able to stop Kylian in his tracks. But in the end, he scored twice, he was the Man of the Match. That’s the high level. The goal situation often has several moments where it can be resolved. But we can't do it, and then there's a mistake, we need to cover better."

The Liverpool star has played in all five of Oranje's Euro 2024 qualifiers thus far. Koeman's men have kept two clean sheets in those games and have conceded seven goals.