Le Tissier makes brutal Van Dijk claim, predicts one Liverpool player will soon be destroying opponents
Virgil van Dijk is not the player he once was and Liverpool’s poor recent form is down to their defensive frailties rather than anything else.
That is according to Premier League legend Matt Le Tissier, who has exclusively told Football Insider that he feels Virgil van Dijk has dropped off this season and Liverpool’s full-backs have reduced in quality compared to last term.
Liverpool fell to another defeat in the Premier League on Saturday (25 October) as Brentford emerged 3-2 victors in their clash at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Arne Slot‘s side have now lost each of their last five league outings but enjoyed some respite last week with a 5-1 Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Liverpool are planning to be active in the January window now that Arsenal are seven points ahead of them in the race for the Premier League title, with Crystal Palace their next opponents in the Carabao Cup this week.
Liverpool have been poor defensively so far this season
The Reds had the second-strongest defensive record in the top-flight as they won the league title in 2024-25, but they have seriously struggled to keep goals out so far this time around.
No team in the top-half has conceded as many as them this season, with 14 goals against, and their issues have been particularly prevalent from set-pieces as Brentford exploited that weakness on Saturday.
Alan Shearer ripped into Van Dijk after that loss to the Bees as the Liverpool captain conceded a penalty and failed to lead by example next to Ibrahima Konate, who has also struggled this season.
The Dutchman admitted following the defeat that it was “a tough one to take,” while also saying that it has “not been easy” for the squad amid their poor recent form.
Le Tissier says Van Dijk is not the player he was
Football Insider recently revealed that Liverpool boss Slot has “major concerns” about Van Dijk and a number of his star players due to their current form compared to last season’s.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former England and Southampton striker Le Tissier questioned whether the Reds captain is the same player as before at 34-years-old, and picked out Liverpool’s defensive issues as the biggest reason for their downfall over the last month.
He said: “I do think it’s probably at the back, is the real issue. I think they’ve lost a bit of quality in the full-back areas, and Virgil van Dijk is probably not as superior as he once was.
“I remember watching him play at Southampton and in the first couple of seasons at Liverpool, he was like a man playing a game in kids football. You know, he was that good. He would would just control everything.
“You never saw him out of position. He would never panic. But all of a sudden, I think you’re just starting to see him and Konate not really at their best, and teams are, kind of, thinking, ‘well, do you know what? If we have a go at them, we might have a chance.‘
“So, yeah, I think the defence (is the biggest issue) at Liverpool. (Arne Slot) is still searching for the right combination in midfield, with (Florian) Wirtz still not firing properly.
“And, obviously, (Alexander) Isak is still not really hitting the heights that he did at Newcastle just yet, but I’m sure that will come. It might just mean that it’ll be another two or three weeks before they really hit their straps.”