"He has almost cheated" - Rio Ferdinand lauds Liverpool superstar's pace and strength and claims he has earned respect over the years

Former Premier League defender Rio Ferdinand believes Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk’s pace and strength allowed him to dominate the Inter Milan attackers on Wednesday.

Liverpool squared off against Inter Milan in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg tie at the San Siro. The Reds had a few moments of defending to do, but Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate dealt well with the Nerazzurri's attacks.

Eventually, Liverpool emerged 2-0 winners as goals from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah helped them put one foot in the quarter-finals.

There were a couple of instances in the game where Ferdinand felt Van Dijk used his strength and pace to bully the likes of Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko.

The 43-year-old said:

"This is about respect, earning respect over the years. You see van Dijk here, he is saying, 'One vs one, the only place you [Martinez] are going to go, I’m going to show you down there [away from goal]. And if you choose to go down there, I’ll beat you for pace, I’ll bully you for strength.'"

"This one here, he has almost cheated there because he knows he can get back to Dzeko, he’s not the quickest. It is about knowing the players you are playing against."

The Dutchman has had a tremendous impact on the club since joining the Reds in 2018. He was instrumental in Liverpool winning their sixth UEFA Champions League trophy in 2018-19 and their first Premier League title in 2019-20.

The Reds will play the second leg against Inter on 8 March, hoping that Van Dijk will continue marshaling the backline and get them to the quarterfinals.

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Virgil van Dijk slowly getting back to his best at Liverpool

Liverpool’s defending hasn’t been bad this season, but their high line has called Alisson Becker into action more often than not. The Brazilian has done well, but it must be noted that Virgil van Dijk is slowly getting back to his best.

Over the rehabilitation period after his knee injury, the Dutchman lost a lot of body mass to speed up his recovery. Physically, he wasn’t at the same level he was prior to his injury.

Over the last few months, however, the 30-year-old has become bulkier and has retained his pace at the same time. If the Reds are to win some silverware this season, they will need him fit and at the top of his game.

Jurgen Klopp has rotated his squad, with the likes of Konate and Joel Matip having featured at the back. However, Van Dijk remains the centerpiece of the defensive jigsaw at the club. Notably, Liverpool have the fourth-best defense so far this season conceding 19 goals and Alisson has the kept the second-most clean sheets (12) this term.