Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterFour Four TwoGet FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.You are now subscribedYour newsletter sign-up was successfulWant to add more newsletters?Five times a weekFourFourTwo DailyFantastic football content straight to your inbox! From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more.Signup +Once a week...And its LIVE!Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off!Signup +Join the clubGet full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in.Subscribe to our newsletterVirgil van Dijk should not be getting the level of criticism he has received this season partly because his centre-back partner Ibrahima Konate has been a liability, according to Jamie Carragher.Liverpool's defence has come in for particular scrutiny this season after keeping just nine Premier League clean sheets - fewer than Crystal Palace and Everton.The criticism intensified following Liverpool's 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup at the weekend, followed by a 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals in midweek. You may like Liverpool star dealt new �60m kick in the teeth amid fresh injury woe Mohamed Salah situation tells you exactly where Liverpool are right now Dominik Szoboszlai is wrong - Liverpool fans aren't responsible for season slump Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher: Go easy on Virgil van DijkGet VIP Liverpool tickets HERE with Seat UniqueSeat Unique tickets at Anfield offer a fantastic matchday. You get premium padded seats in the new Anfield Road stand (Block AM5, front rows) and access to the Brodies Lounge for three hours pre-match. Enjoy street food, a complimentary half-time drink, a matchday programme, and entertainment, including a Liverpool legend appearance, making it a truly elevated experience.View DealThat has led plenty of pundits, journalists and fans to conclude that the Liverpool defence needs an overhaul this summer to upgrade the ageing van Dijk and out-of-form Konate.The French international is set to go out of contract this summer, while van Dijk has another season left on the two-year extension he signed last year.Speaking on CBS Sports after Liverpool's loss defeat to PSG, Carragher said: "People have criticised Van Dijk for his performances this season but I think its been harsh."I think he plays every game, the fella next to him has been awful all season, and poor again [against PSG].Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over."Konate makes a mistake every game, so thats not easy to play alongside - so I still think hes been one of Liverpools better players, Virgil van Dijk. But [against PSG] in that back three, I have never seen him [Van Dijk] so uncomfortable in a Liverpool shirt in my life."[With] Konate, its getting to the stage now where you actually feel you shouldnt criticise him, because youre watching something thats actually not nice to watch, when youre watching a player go through something like this."Ive never thought he was top class, but hes just going through an absolute nightmare." What to read next Arne Slot's Liverpool exit edges closer with another defeat: how much patience can the Reds show the Dutchman? Liverpool suffer fresh summer setback set to cost club tens of millions: report Liverpool must build their future around him former Premier League star Frank Lebouef believes the Reds future success depends on countrymans stellar performances For FourFourTwo, although the criticism of Konate is valid, that feels extremely generous to van Dijk.We've seen plenty of occasions this season where the Dutchman has been caught flat-footed and out of position in ways that he would not have allowed at his peak a few years ago.We're not at all convinced that van Dijk's issue is that his attention is being drawn away from erratic defending elsewhere in the defence, especially bearing in mind he played all 38 games in the 2019/20 title win alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold, 28 alongside a 22-year-old Joe Gomez, and 10 alongside Dejan Lovren.It's fine to acknowledge that a player who will turn 35 this summer is no longer as imperious as he once was.TOPICSVirgil van DijkIbrahima KonateJamie CarragherSteven ChickenSocial Links NavigationSteven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication,WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
