Inter Milan Stopped A Counter Attack Because Of Virgil Van Dijk's Presence

They say the best defenders don't even have to make a challenge, because their positioning is so good, which could be further proof at just how good Virgil van Dijk is.

It's understandable if forwards are a bit intimidated by Van Dijk's reputation and ability as one of the best defenders in the world, and he can certainly be a tough man to play against.

At one point the Dutchman went 65 games in-a-row without a player dribbling past him, and even when it did happen Gabriel Jesus' dribble in the Community Shield didn't even count!

More recently he managed to completely destroy Kepa in the Carabao Cup final win for Jurgen Klopp's side, with his intimidating penalty and stare.

On Tuesday night however he maybe pulled off his greatest trick, stopping Lautaro Martinez from even starting a counter attack, just by being there, not even having to run full pelt for the ball, as the forward pulled up his own run when seeing the defender.

Martinez didn't have a great night against the former Southampton defender, and struggled to get past him for much of the night, with commentators picking up on the struggles.

However, the Argentina forward did provide the best moment of the night, as his rocket went past Alisson to give Inter the only goal of the game.

Even in that moment though it was claimed that he only took the shot because he was faced with Van Dijk and he again didn't try to get past the 30-year-old.

Instead the Inter striker just blasted the ball into the top corner and the defender's role in the goal actually ended up being criticised.

talkSPORT presenter Adrian Durham ripped into the defender after the game, saying, "World’s best defender? Just dangling a leg and letting Martinez shoot?

"...Unbelievably bad defending from Van Dijk. It’s not often you get to say that."

The centre back, and the rest of his teammates, didn't have to do too much defending following the goal, with Alexis Sanchez's sending off coming just a minute later.

Liverpool will be hoping that the best version of Van Dijk's defending turns up for the rest of the rounds, as the Reds chase an unprecedented quadruple.

Featured Image Credit: BT Sport

Topics: Virgil Van Dijk, Liverpool, Champions League, Premier League, Lautaro Martinez, Inter Milan

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a journalist for SPORTbible with over eight years of experience. Passionate about all sports, he mainly covers football and F1 - Daniel Ricciardo once spent an entire interview referring to him as 'Ryan Gosling,' still his proudest moment.

@Sidler28