Virgil van Dijk News and Analysis

Ranking the 10 best players in the Premier League right now during the 2024/25 season

30Sep

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, Premier League

Ranking the 10 best players in the Premier League right now during the 2024/25 season

10. Liverpool RB Trent Alexander-Arnold Honestly, I can't comprehend why there are so many amateur pundits who spend their days disparaging Trent Alexander-Arnold's defending as if he were on the level of a backup at Lecce when, in fact, he's an excellent one-on-one defender as a fullback. It's just that people can't seem to understand that an attacking fullback who actually tries to add value to his team going forward is going to inevitably get caught out defensively on occasion, with the frequency of those occurrences unduly distorted by an army of fail comp "artists" who clearly need a job. Alexander-Arnold is a better one-on-one defender than Reece James, who apparently earned a reputation as a superior defensive right back on the grounds of being physically bigger and having on...

The best XI of free agents in the summer 2025 transfer window

12Sep

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

The best XI of free agents in the summer 2025 transfer window

From a trio of Liverpool superstars and a duo of Manchester City icons to Tottenham forward Son Heung-min, here is a look at the best XI of impending free agents in the summer 2025 transfer window. The formation utilized will be a 4-3-3 without a playmaker, as this remains the most common formation utilize by the top teams in European football. Contract expiry is based on data from Transfermarkt. GK Alex Meret, Napoli Alex Meret is capable of producing fabulous saves and is one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A, which just might have the most goalkeeping talent of any league in world football. Although Napoli's poor 2023/24 season has caused Meret to fall by the wayside in discussions of the better keepers in Europe, the 27-year-old is a top player in his prime who is capable of t...

Ranking the 10 best center backs in world football right now in 2024

7Jul

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Champions League, Features

Ranking the 10 best center backs in world football right now in 2024

The center back position is becoming more of a premium position in world football these days with elite European clubs trying to lock down the world's best attacking players. Here are the 10 best center backs in the world right now in 2024. 10. Giorgio Scalvini, Atalanta Atalanta star Giorgio Scalvini gets overlooked because of all the top-class defensive talent in Serie A, and Atalanta tend to get a whole lot less press than, say, Juventus or Inter Milan. Furthermore, it doesn't help that Bologna star Riccardo Calafiori is the young Italian center back soaking up all the media attention and social media fanposts. That's for good reason, but before Euro 2024, Scalvini was seen as THE young center back to watch in Italian football after putting together a second excellent season ...

EPL Player of the Season Rankings: Tottenham rate highly; Bukayo Saka or Mohamed Salah No. 1?

1Mar

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, Premier League

EPL Player of the Season Rankings: Tottenham rate highly; Bukayo Saka or Mohamed Salah No. 1?

With 26 Matchdays in the books, it's time to take an updated look at the top 10 contenders to win the Premier League Player of the Season award in 2023/24. 10. Tottenham ST Son Heung-min Son Heung-min was one of the biggest disappointments in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, as Tottenham failed to qualify for Europe despite a sensational season from current Bayern Munich man Harry Kane. The South Korean superstar has been back to his superstar status in 2023/24, leading the way for a Spurs side that still has an outside shot at qualifying for the Champions League under new manager Ange Postecoglou. Son has really stepped up as the main man up top, scoring 12 goals to place himself among the league leaders. He's been so effective all-around, notching six assists and an avera...

Ranking the 10 best Liverpool players of the 2010s decade

9Nov

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, Premier League

Ranking the 10 best Liverpool players of the 2010s decade

Liverpool have a storied history in the context of world football, but even the most successful and well-supported clubs have a dark period. From the 2009/10 to 2015/16 season, the Reds were in the top four of the Premier League just once, finishing second in 2013/14 behind Luis Suárez's 31-goal season. It wasn't until Jürgen Klopp's arrival in that 2015/16 season that Liverpool began turning things around. Klopp helped bring consistent winning back to Liverpool, assembling a juggernaut of a front three in Sadio Mané, Roberto Frimino, and Mohamed Salah. History will remember that attack as one of the best trios to ever grace the Premier League. Even if others will have better statistics, nobody will match the cohesion those three do. But it's not all about the attacking players, nor ...

Ranking the 10 best center backs in the world for 2023

18Mar

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

Ranking the 10 best center backs in the world for 2023

The center back position is one of the most difficult to evaluate in football, because much of what makes the best center backs so effective is what they do off the ball. Paolo Maldini was famous for being able to shut strikers out of the match without even having to make a tackle, famously remarking that this was a sign of a great defender. Yet at the same time, the best center backs in world football need to show they are capable of making decisive interventions when called upon. And there are even other central defenders who have the responsibility of pushing higher up the pitch to win the ball, particularly for possession-based, pressing teams like Bayern München. So here are the 10 best center backs in football today, ranked based on a combination of current play in the 2...