Former Liverpool midfielder Boudewijn Zenden has given his verdict on his fellow Dutchman Virgil van Dijk, after he insisted the criticism being fired at the Reds captain is not entirely justified.

Van Dijk made another big mistake last Saturdayas his missed clearance led to a goal for Tottenham striker Richarlison, with the latest mistake coming amid a season that has seen the 34-year-old defender coming under constant fire as he has made a series of uncharacteristic errors.

Now Zenden has told Football365that Van Dijk and his defensive partner Ibrahima Konate are getting criticism for a collective collapse of confidence and form in the Liverpool squad, as the Premier League champions have slipped back from the standards they set last season.

“Some people suggest it might be an age thing with Virgil, but it’s more than that,” Zenden told Football365with Casino Beats.

“All the players at Liverpoolare not performing as well as they did last season and if you are playing as a centre-back and goals are going in or you make a mistake, it is more obvious.

“Everyone can see when Van Dijk makes a mistake or Konate has bad moment and people will always ask questions if you are playing for a big club like Liverpool.

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“Sometimes when I see Virgil play, he is so good that he makes it look easy. When you think he is that good, it is a bigger surprise when he makes a mistake.

“It seems like he can solve any problems that come at him. Then sometimes you can get caught out, but we need to be calm when we talk about this.

“I’m still a big fan of Virgil van Dijk. I still think he is one of the best centre-backs in the world. He is a massive leader and with all the problems Liverpool have had, he is talking to the press and trying to keep things together. I’m sure he will do the same with the national team at the World Cup next summer.

“I had periods in my career when things were not going my way and you just have to keep you head down, work hard and wait for it to turn. I don’t have too many big concerns over Virgil.”

Liverpool manager Arne Slot is another Dutchman who has faces big questions at Liverpool this season, with Zenden suggesting the mistakes made by his players at both ends of the field have cast the manager in a poor light.

“You will always have a lot of pressure at Liverpool and people would have been expecting Slot to do the same as last season, but it is not always that easy,” added Zenden, who played for Liverpool in the 2007 Champions League final.

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“We have seen Pep Guardiola say that when you win the league, the next season is always more difficult because everyone will go after you.

“If you just look at the results for Liverpool this season, they have not been great, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

“They have had moments when they have been playing well and they have not always finished off the chances they have been creating. Then they have been making mistakes defensively and when that happens, it can change the way a match goes and everything is decided on results.

“They have not been scoring their goals and the opposition have been taking their chances and it can turn around very quickly.

“The opposition also thinks they have a chance against Liverpool now. That change of dynamic is important. Teams often come to Anfield and think they will be in trouble and that means they are 1-0 down before they start, but that is missing at the moment because every team thinks they can get something from Liverpool.

“The opposition are playing a more direct style of football and Liverpool haven’t been very good at dealing with that, but Slot and the players have to find solutions.”

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