Van Dijk: LFC front three are a nightmare
Having played with and against them, Virgil van Dijk has settled on 'nightmare' as the most suitable description for the trio of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
Each of the three Liverpool forwards hit the net on Tuesday night as Jürgen Klopp’s side established a 5-2 advantage against AS Roma in their Champions League semi-final.
The genesis of the goals lay in the energy and effort of the whole Reds team in pressing the Italians on the ball and forcing mistakes – a method that has paid continual dividends this term.
Most of all for Firmino, Mane and Salah, whose collective industry – allied to their natural ability – has contributed to the stunning total of 88 goals between them so far in 2017-18.
“They’re so clinical,” Van Dijk explained to The Telegraph.
“You don’t need to give them a chance, because they are so lively, so sharp in front of the goal. With giving assists to each other, no-one is selfish – everyone wants to do it for each other.
“The work they put in up front as well is phenomenal. It’s getting a bit under the radar – the work they do defensively. Obviously the goals have been unbelievable, but if you see them working for all of us that helps a lot.
“It’s a nightmare to play against those three. If you’re a ball-playing centre-back who wants to have the ball, you know those three are going to keep pressing you, not once, twice, but for the whole game. You don’t want to come up against those three.”
For all of Liverpool’s supreme play going forward in midweek, the European tie remains in the balance ahead of the return in Rome due to the concession of two late goals at Anfield.
“You can concede, because they are a top side as well, but to concede two in the last 10 minutes is just frustrating,” reflected Van Dijk.
“You’re going to think about it, because it was such a great night, a great game, and a great result to take with us to Rome. But to concede two like that is for everyone a little blow on a fantastic evening.
“It’s still a good result. If anyone had said before the game, ‘Would you take a 5-2 to take to Rome?’ most of the people, most of the players would have said, ‘Yeah, of course.’ But as a football player, as a defender, and as a team as well, you don’t want to concede in the way we conceded.”
The second leg at Stadio Olimpico represents a return to his former club for Salah.
After increasing his goal tally for the season to 43 with a brace on Tuesday, as well as two assists, the Egyptian was labelled ‘the best player on the planet’ currently by Steven Gerrard.
Van Dijk added: “You need to be honest. This season Mo has been unbelievable. The numbers don’t lie, with the goals he’s scored, as a winger, and the assists he’s been giving.
“It’s been one hell of a season for him already. You don’t know what can happen. He deserves a lot already for the way he’s showed himself in his first season for Liverpool. He’s definitely up there, right now, with his current form.
“Those two in Spain [Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi] – they have been doing it for years, consistently, so that’s maybe something for Mo to have in the future. I hope so.”