Form Guide: Is Van Dijk the Premier League's most underrated defender?

As Manchester City stuttered to a 1-1 draw, and with it, a fifth successive competitive match without victory, much of the focus was on their apparent struggles. Despite sitting top of the Premier League, Pep Guardiola is under pressure to oversee a return to winning ways, regardless of this being their best start to a campaign in their history.

The stalemate at the Etihad Stadium and subsequent criticisms of Guardiola masked what was a thoroughly impressive defensive display by Southampton. Given Saints had lost their previous five league visits to City, the south coast side were effective going forward and solid at the back in Manchester on Sunday. Claude Puel has overseen a five-match unbeaten run in England’s top tier following a less than impressive start to life in England, with their defensive foundation a solid platform to build upon.

Only Tottenham (4) have conceded more Premier League goals than Southampton (8) this season, in part owing once more to the solid defensive partnership of Virgil van Dijk and Jose Fonte. They're perhaps the most underrated centre-back pairing in England’s top tier, with both defenders protecting Fraser Forster’s goal with aplomb. The duo put in an impressive defensive performance at the Etihad on Sunday, with City failing to register a shot on target in the first half of Sunday’s stalemate, the first time that’s happened all season.

Even after the interval, City were restricted to just three shots on target, their lowest tally under Guardiola as Saints frustrated the league leaders on their home turf. Van Dijk (11) and Fonte (10) made the most clearances in Sunday’s early fixture, with the former’s defensive exploits earning him the WhoScored man of the match award with a rating of 7.89. Van Dijk has rapidly established himself as one of the finest players in his position in the top-flight of English football, with the Dutchman rightly a fan favourite.

There were concerns surrounding his adaptability upon his arrival from Celtic 18 months ago, with lapses in concentration one of his weak points, but Van Dijk once more looks every bit the established Premier League centre-back. Brought in as a replacement for Toby Alderweireld, who shunned the chance to move to St. Mary’s permanently following a successful loan spell with Saints in favour of a switch to Tottenham, Van Dijk’s consistent form at the heart of the defence has played a vital role as the club vie for a regular European finish.

The 25-year-old colossus made an immediate impact under Ronald Koeman, with his WhoScored rating last term (7.56) enough to earn a place in the European team of the season. Arguably Van Dijk’s strongest asset is his aerial ability having won more duels than any other Premier League defender (198) since the start of last season. Of Fonte, Van Dijk and Forster, the former stands the shortest at 6’2”, which means Saints are very rarely troubled in the air by opponents.

However, a developing trait of Van Dijk’s has been his ability to bring the ball forward. At 6’4”, the Netherlands international is rarely going to be muscled off the ball by opponents, which means he’s able to carry possession into midfield. Moreover, the improvements in Van Dijk’s distribution have been crucial. It’s all well and good being able to protect the Southampton goal, but with football continuing to evolve, it’s important the players follow suit, which the defender is doing.

His average number of passes per game has increased (40.8 to 49.6) as has his pass success rate (83.1% to 84.8%) and accurate long balls per game (3.5 to 5.7). This is in part down to Fonte’s influence on the youngster, with the Portuguese defender’s solitary statistically calculated WhoScored strength being ‘passing’. Furthermore, Puel’s move to a 4-3-1-2 formation means Van Dijk has more midfield options to pick out than he did when Koeman was at the helm.

Oriol Romeu, who struggled to hold down a regular starting spot last season, often drops deeper to collect possession from the defence and help solidify the backline to allow the full-backs to push on, so it comes as no shock that 50 of Van Dijk’s 378 accurate passes have been to Romeu. With Steven Davis also dropping from midfield to defence to collect the ball and Fonte always willing to receive possession, Van Dijk has ample options to utilise his passing ability and with one of Southampton’s statistically calculated currently ‘possession football’, the defender has developed the distribution skills to adhere to his manager’s demands and elevate himself to the very top level.

With his consistently fine performances at the heart of the defence, it would be harsh to overlook Van Dijk when discussing the Premier League’s best centre-backs. Indeed, his WhoScored man of the match award against City was his 9th in England’s top tier since the start of last season; only Riyad Mahrez (10) has won more in that time. Saints fans are enthused to have a defender of his quality in their ranks and if Van Dijk continues his excellent displays for the south coast side, his stock will continue to rise.

Would you say Virgil van Dijk is one of the Premier League's best defenders? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below