How Jeremy Jacquet is now on course to match Virgil van Dijk’s best ever season with Liverpool
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Though there were ultimately several contenders, Liverpool supporters were all in agreement about who the man of the match from Sunday’s win over Bournemouth should be.To the surprise of nobody at all, Jeremy Jacquet was voted as the Reds’ best performer, with the Frenchman also scooping the award from Sky Sports after another faultless display in the heart of the Liverpool backline.Virgil van Dijk beamed as he spoke about his young teammate after the game, and while Jacquet claims he can learn plenty from Van Dijk, the numbers show that he is already on course to match the Dutchman’s best ever duel-winning percentage in a Premier League season. What's gone well, and what still needs work? 🤔 Jacquet is going toe-to-toe with Van DijkWhen Liverpool spent £60m to sign Jacquet despite him having only 57 senior appearances under his belt, it was clear that he was regarded as being a special talent, but nobody at Anfield could have predicted just how easily the 21-year-old would slot into the Reds’ defence.Van Dijk’s presence obviously helps, and the Liverpool captain has made every defender he’s played next to throughout his time with the Reds look much, much better.When it comes to aerial duels, the 35-year-old is imperious, but he is not too shabby on the ground either.
Van Dijk has won 74.1% of his ground duels so far this season, which is slightly lower than the 76.3% claimed by Jacquet.As per Opta, Jacquet’s percentage currently matches the highest recorded by Van Dijk during a Premier League season, which he posted in Liverpool’s imperious 2018/19 campaign, his first full season at the club. There is obviously a long way to go, but Jacquet is currently going toe-to-toe with his captain on this front.76.3% – Jérémy Jacquet has won 76.3% of his duels in the Premier League this season (29/38).76.3% is also Virgil Van Dijk's highest duel success rate in a single Premier League campaign for Liverpool (achieved in 2018-19).Protégé. https://t.co/gueM7ON69H— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 20, 2026 View X READ MORE: Michael Owen says why ‘unselfish’ Florian Wirtz was actually key to Liverpool’s win at BournemouthSteve Nicol impressed by Jacquet’s impactIt is not only on the ground where Jacquet is actually beating Van Dijk this season.
Having won 76.9% of his battles in the air, against Van Dijk’s 71.4%, he is dominant wherever opponents want to take him on.Quite rightly, Jacquet has impressed just about everybody, even the notoriously hard-to-please Liverpool legend Steve Nicol, who admitted that the new No. If they can figure out how to sort out the left-back position, then you are looking at a solid base, 100 per cent, that you can build on and are building on as we speak.”As a young defender, it is fair to assume that Jacquet will have his ups and downs this season, but matching Van Dijk’s absolute prime – and beating his numbers already this season – should not be underestimated.