Is Van Dijk capable of neutralizing Haaland's threat?

On the Premier League homepage, former midfielder Adrian Clarke suggested that Virgil van Dijk has rediscovered his top form and could stop Erling Haaland in Liverpool's crucial match against Man City in Round 13 today.

"Not many center-backs in world football have the strength, speed, and mentality to confidently go up against last season's Premier League top scorer, but Van Dijk is one of them," wrote Clarke, who played for Arsenal from 1991 to 1997.

In fact, Van Dijk has a superior head-to-head record against Haaland, winning four and drawing one of five matches across all competitions, at both club and international level.

Van Dijk (in red) blocks Haaland's shot during the FA Community Shield match earlier this season. Photo: Action Images. — Van Dijk (in red) blocks Haaland's shot during the FA Community Shield match earlier this season. Photo: *Action Images.*

The last time they faced each other was 13 months ago, when Liverpool beat Man City 1-0 thanks to a goal from Mohamed Salah in the 11th round of the Premier League. At Anfield that day, Haaland tried to exploit Joe Gomez's position as often as possible – the central defender partnering Van Dijk. But Van Dijk always stayed close, often winning in one-on-one duels with Haaland. The most notable moment was Joao Cancelo's one-touch cross towards Haaland's far post in front of an empty net. However, Van Dijk managed to rush back and head the ball out for a clear scoring opportunity.

While wearing the Manchester City shirt, Haaland's last encounter with Van Dijk also brought a bitter memory. In the FA Community Shield match in July 2022 – his first official game after joining Man City – the Norwegian striker missed at least three chances, including two clear-cut opportunities in the penalty area. As a result, Man City lost 1-3, missing out on their first title of the season to their rivals.

The clashes between Van Dijk and Haaland

Match	Prize	Result	Haaland scores a goal.
Liverpool - Man City	English Premier League	1-0	0
Liverpool - Man City	Super Cup	3-1	0
Norway - Netherlands	Nations League	1-1	1
Liverpool - Salzburg	Champions League	4-3	1
Salzburg - Liverpool	Champions League	0-2	0

Haaland's two other club encounters with Van Dijk came when he played for RB Salzburg. These were in the group stage of the 2018-2019 Champions League, when RB Salzburg lost 0-2 at home and 3-4 at Anfield – a match in which Haaland scored a goal.

At the national team level, Haaland and Norway drew 1-1 with Van Dijk's Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League group stage in September 2021. Haaland opened the scoring in the 20th minute, but Davy Klaassen equalized for the Netherlands at the end of the first half.

The 2022-2023 season was a poor one by Van Dijk's high standards, but he has regained his form and confidence since the start of this season. The 32-year-old center-back is more aggressive in one-on-one challenges with opposing strikers and has eliminated the silly mistakes that drew much criticism last season, making virtually no errors in the opening 12 rounds.

Among defenders who have played more than 800 minutes in the Premier League since the start of the season, Van Dijk leads in the statistics for winning one-on-one duels with 80.5%. The Dutch center-back also has a win rate in aerial duels of 82.3%. These figures for Van Dijk last season were 69.5% and 73.7% respectively. Specifically, Van Dijk has had 51 uncontested chances – the second highest in the Premier League since the start of the season, only behind Brentford's Ethan Pinnock with 59.

Van Dijk (right) is regaining his top form at Liverpool this season. Photo: AFP — Van Dijk (right) is regaining his top form at Liverpool this season. Photo: *AFP*

Van Dijk had the most successful season in 2018-2019, not conceding a single dribble, and he is on track to repeat that incredible feat. Among defenders who have played more than 800 minutes in the Premier League since the start of the season, Van Dijk is the only one to have not been dribbled past once, with 838 minutes on the pitch. Following Van Dijk in this statistic are William Saliba of Arsenal and Ezri Konsa of Aston Villa, both having conceded one dribble after 1080 minutes. Kurt Zouma of West Ham also conceded one dribble after 990 minutes on the pitch.

Last season, Van Dijk was dribbled past by opposing players 11 times. His decline in form was partly responsible for Liverpool finishing only fifth in the Premier League.

Clarke believes Liverpool, and Van Dijk personally, could "replicate" the playing style that William Saliba and Arsenal used to neutralize Haaland in their 1-0 win against Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on October 8th. At that time, Saliba – a player with a similar style and physique to Van Dijk – consistently pressed and denied the Norwegian striker much space to control the ball and accelerate. Collectively, Arsenal maintained appropriate spacing, neither dropping too deep nor pushing too high up the pitch. As a result, Haaland only touched the ball four times in the penalty area and was unable to take a single shot.

"Van Dijk can't stop the league leader alone; it's a team effort. But Van Dijk's core strength will ensure Haaland has to work hard to score his 50th Premier League goal," Clarke emphasized.

Hong Duy

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