Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Don’t be stupid.
The Premier League is back and in full swing, which means that players are back to saying really silly things into microphones. Liverpool are currently miles clear at the top of the league and need just six more points to clinch their first Premier League title in 30 years. They don’t need any extra motivation heading into the Merseyside Derby tomorrow, but thanks to Everton’s Richarlson, they might have a little extra juice in the tank.
“People talk a lot about him,” Richarlson said earlier this week in reference to Virgil van Dijk. “Yes he is a great defender but I’ve already dribbled past him. For me there are better defenders.” The Everton attacker would go on to say Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, and Sergio Ramos are all better defenders than the Liverpool star.
As a reminder, van Dijk is currently the reigning PFA Footballer of the Year and finished second in Ballon d’Or voting this past year. Not to mention a current European and World champion.
Paul Merson, a former Arsenal player and currently a pundit for Sky Sports, said it perfectly in response to Richarlson’s claims:
“I think with Van Dijk, he has a reputation, people are scared of him. People don’t go past him, they square up and think, ‘Oh my god, it’s Virgil van Dijk, I can’t get past him!’.
“I think that’s the problem, he gets good cover. He’s a Rolls Royce. Is he the best in the world? I’ll have to see when the World Cup comes around and who he’s playing against.”
