cic old boy wrote:
ohsee wrote:

Nna, like I say to many of my friends, watch English footie with the volume off and you will be asking what the fuss is about with many of the over-hyped players. Van Dijk is an average player, who is strong in the air and can pass the ball better than your average English centre-back. I didn't reach this conclusion based on last night. In fact, I was saying it long b/4 last night.
Maldini was great, so was Cannavaro. But the best Italian defenders I saw were Nesta and Baresi. Varane is better than Van Dijk eight days a week. I see you said "current form". I form opinions about players over a longer period of time. I've been watching Varane from when he was 18. Van Dijk is loved in England b/c they love their big, straight-back centre-backs who "clear their lines", block spaces and are useful at corners. Terry did all that. Nothing special. They usually get exposed by speedy tricksters. Varane usually matches them for speed and has the guile to nick the ball off them.
Chief, most of the footie I watch is on BeIN Sports in Arabic, so it has nothing to do with what they say. I thought van Dijk was outstanding even when he was at Southhampton.
The people who pay huge sums for these people are not just internet talkers with no investment in whether they lose money. They have an entire staff analyzing and watching these players and watching hundreds of videos before they make a decision to invest millions.
Your opinion is just your opinion, one of millions from people who have no investment in their opinions. You can say whatever you like without consequence or cost. You can even say, if you like, that John Stones is a better defender than van Dijk. Next week, we'll all forget that you said it, and it costs you nothing.
Van Dijk and Allison have made a HUGE difference in Liverpool's defence this season, and anyone who followed Liverpool last season and this season knows this. Allison makes mistakes. I have not seen van Dijk make a mistake for Liverpool this season, so you can guess where the real change has happened. You don't see it? That's probably why you are not making some of those millions analyzing players for the big clubs, and you are sitting at home like me voicing any opinion that has no consequence, opinions that don't cost you anything.
By the way, Varane was unable to "nick the ball off" the nimble Ajax forwards.

And you spoil your case for being a insightful footie observer by comparing van Dijk to Terry.