Virgil van Dijk rarely allows his focus to move away from his tunnel-visioned, one-game-at-a-time winning mentality. But on Saturday night, he allowed himself a glass of red wine with his wife Rike.
He was celebrating. Not necessarily the 4-1 win over Ipswich, or the fact Liverpool are six points clear with a game in hand in pursuit of glory. The skipper was toasting to 300 games at Liverpool.
‘I am very proud, very proud indeed,’ said Van Dijk, whose family were at Anfield for his special day. And after marking his triple-century, a couple of big questions pop into the head.
Is Van Dijk the best defender in Premier League history? And, perhaps more importantly, how many more games will he play in a Liverpool shirt?
‘I have no idea… how many more games are there this season?,’ he said when quizzed on the latter. ‘Sixteen (in the league)… hopefully those are guaranteed and I don’t know what the future will bring.’
Van Dijk is clever with his words, knowing fans and the media would descend on him like vultures if he was to offer any more detail on his future — but the fact he is still seemingly no closer to knowing where he will be this time next season is utterly baffling and worrying for Reds supporters.
Virgil van Dijk celebrated his ‘proud’ achievement of 300 games for Liverpool on Saturday
He enjoyed a drink with wife Rike (left) after the Reds beat Ipswich 4-1 in the Premier League
When asked how many more times he will play for Liverpool, he replied: ‘I have no idea… how many more games are there this season?’
Nevertheless, they are enjoying the present day — though this routine win over Ipswich was probably one of the easiest afternoons Van Dijk has experienced in his 300 games.
They did not concede a shot until the hour mark had passed, and goalkeeper Alisson might as well have put up a deckchair, lit up a pipe and read a few chapters of a book for the first 85 minutes until a late Ipswich flurry.
So Saturday will not be one of the first recollections when Van Dijk eventually retires, though he has not picked a favourite moment yet. He said: ‘There will be a day, one day, where I have a reflect on everything that happened to me at Liverpool and have a proper think about what stands out. But hopefully there are still things to come.’
The way Liverpool are going, it feels like good things will certainly be to come this season. Van Dijk will be central to that and the stats back up the theory that he is the greatest defender of the modern era.
Since his Liverpool debut, he has made more passes, had a better duel success rate and even scored more goals than any defender in the league. He has also only been dribbled past a staggering 0.15 times per game — barely at all — and just four men have played more minutes than him in the time, which is not bad considering he missed nearly a full season to injury.
Van Dijk is the most important cog in the Liverpool matrix alongside Mohamed Salah, who is now above Thierry Henry in the all-time Premier League scorers chart. Frank Lampard and Sergio Aguero are next in his sights.
And captain Van Dijk’s supremacy is part of a trend of Dutchman firing Liverpool to this title, with two-goal Cody Gakpo matching his league tally for last season already (eight) and Ryan Gravenberch putting in consistent world-class displays. Not to mention boss Arne Slot.
Gravenberch has been the biggest surprise and Van Dijk said: ‘Last year, he didn’t play as much. But we all saw his quality. For him it was definitely key to keep his head down and work his socks off. This year he has got the trust and the confidence.
The Reds skipper is one of three big-name players out of contract at the end of the season
‘He can show his quality week in week out and every few days. I am very impressed with him. Not only on the pitch but outside as well. He is still a young boy but he is growing into a man.
‘The way you approach the game on and off the pitch is very key to be a world class player. The consistency he is showing, he is a world class player. And he can only get better as well. He just has to keep his head down, keep working and keep enjoying it.
‘He learns from difficult moments in games. He has been almost flawless this season. Also how to approach the game — recovery, preparation for training and games, sleep.
‘Everything you need to do to be a professional and consistent athlete, he is doing in the right way. I am proud of him. I am pleased not only for him but for us. He is vital for us.’
Gravenberch and Gakpo are just two players Slot has transformed from talented stars struggling to nail down a starting spot to those consistently putting in a high level week in, week out. Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Diaz are others who have found consistency.
It means that even if Salah or Van Dijk have a game that is not at their best level, others step up and fire the Reds to results. Not that that pair’s level ever does dip — in 300 matches, there have not been too many bad days for Liverpool’s captain fantastic.
