UEFA Champions League: World class Van Dijk is key to Liverpool's hopes of stopping PSG

When Virgil van Dijk joined Liverpool last season during the winter transfer period, many questions were asked and many doubts were expressed about Jurgen Klopp's decision to make a fortune of bringing the defender back home from Southampton.

After a lot of troubles and negotiations with The SaintsLiverpool eventually signed with the Dutch for a world record of £ 75 million for a defenseman in January 2018.

The disc transfer label was bound to put a lot of pressure on the player, but Van Dijk has only prospered alongside Jurgen Klopp ever since.

After an impressive performance in the second half of last season, expectations have reached a crescendo given that The Reds had finally obtained the world-class central defender they had longed for.

Since the retirement of Jamie Carragher, Liverpool has several central defenders and some of them have a lot of influence. However, defensive fouls have affected Liverpool since Jurgen Klopp took power.

Last season, the arrival of Mohamed Salah made Liverpool's attack one of the best in the league. But they continued to score goals at an alarming rate, forcing Klopp to buy Van Dijk at all costs. And the center back of the ball has its place perfectly while adding a certain solidity to the background of Liverpool.

It has now been suggested that the 27-year-old is among the best central defenders in the world – but does that bring an extra layer of responsibility?

"I think in a club like Liverpool, you always feel a bit of pressure," Van Dijk said. "You should, but that does not bother me."

The Dutch defender played in all 13 matches of the club this season and helped them to keep seven draws. He conceded only five goals in the Premier League – a defensive record among the best in the league alongside Manchester City.

In all of this, the 27-year-old's ability to hold and play with the ball has been brilliant.

Virgil van Dijk has been a mainstay of Klopp's defense and has become one of the central defenders in the Premier League and around the world.

He will play a crucial role on Wednesday night when Liverpool will travel to Paris to face Paris Saint-Germain in a crucial clash between Group C and Group C of the UEFA Champions League. After all, containing an attack involving Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe takes a high-level defender.

And that's exactly what Van Dijk is!

"I have no fear," said the Dutch international. "We respect them (PSG) as a team, but we want to win the game. We will do everything for that, motivated and we will make sure we are ready from the beginning.

"We do not have to forget that we are also one of the best teams in Europe. We reached the final last year and we want to do at least the same thing this year. This is our goal. So we will try, try to beat them. "

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