Virgil van Dijk is smashing league statistic but it reveals Liverpool's glaring tactical weakness

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Liverpool’s struggles this season have come as something of a surprise, following a summer of heavy investment.Arne Slot is under pressure to turn things around, following four successive defeats in the Premier League, with plenty of problems arising.He will need to turn towards the Liverpool players he trusts to stand up and drive the team forward, with Virgil van Dijk at the core of that.The centre-back is doing his utmost to help the Reds, as is shown in some leading statistics in the Premier League, but there are concerns there too.Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesVirgil van Dijk is leading the Premier League in aerial duels alongside Ibrahima KonateBeing the captain of Liverpool and one of the most experienced in the squad means plenty of pressure is put on Van Dijk to set the standards.He is certainly leading by example in the Premier League when it comes to his aerial statistics, sitting among those at the very top.Van Dijk has won the most aerials in the division (46), while sitting fifth for the highest percentage of aerial duels won (78%).The Dutch defender is also in a league of his own when it comes to clearances, with 87 so far this season – Marcos Senesi is second with 15 fewer.While he may not be on the exact same level, Ibrahima Konate is also around the top for a few statistics.The main one is that aerials won category though, where he sits third with 35 so far.It’s a potential plus point for Konate, despite his struggles with performances.That puts both Van Dijk and Konate ahead of the likes of Dan Burn and Gabriel Magalhaes, both of whom may be well-known for their ability in the air.However, that in itself points to part of the problem that Liverpool and Slot are facing so far.Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesLiverpool’s aerial difficulties highlighted as tactical weaknessAfter a run of difficult defeats, Jamie Carragher has claimed Liverpool are in crisis, with Slot grasping for something to change how the season is panning out.The drop from champions to this point here has come with many questions surrounding how the team have quickly lost control.The answer is in those aerial duels, as teams wouldn’t keep throwing those balls in the air for Van Dijk and Konate to sweep up if they were so good at them.A high volume of long balls for the pair to clear suggests teams are targeting a frailty in Liverpool by being more direct.Opposition clubs are striking much quicker at the heart of the defence, making for those displays where the centre-back partnership looks so shaky.While they may be leading the Premier League for aerials, it’s clear that teams are targeting the team as a whole with the route-one football that has become widely associated with the league.It remains to be seen whether Slot can find the answers within his team to fix those issues now, or if it can only be solved by hitting the transfer market again.