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Van Dijk’s performances this season have come under scrutiny due to Liverpool’s inconsistency and he was again under fire when France thrashed the Netherlands last week. Prominent former Dutch stars such as Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten have chastised him for not showing enough leadership and not playing well enough at the heart of Liverpool’s defence. The defender came out fighting this week . Perez also feels Van Dijk is being criticised because he played at such a high level for two years, and every mistake he is making now is getting magnified.

Perez said on ESPN Netherlands: “He has set the bar so incredibly high that every little flaw is seen as a massive mistake.



“He is slightly at a normal level now because he was at such a high level.



Liverpool will hope to see Van Dijk at his best when they take on Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday.


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