Former Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart caused controversy with his scathing criticism of Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, and now Jurgen Klopp has joined the fray.
Manager Jurgen Klopp had a strong reaction to Rafael van der Vaart (Image: Magenta TV)
Manager Jurgen Klopp has dismissed Rafael van der Vaart’s comparison of Virgil van Dijk to a Boeing 747, insisting the former Tottenham midfielder’s opinion is not important. Van der Vaart slammed fellow Dutchman Van Dijk after the 2-2 draw with Japan at the World Cup.
The Netherlands surrendered a two-goal lead in the opening game of the World Cup and shared the points with Texas on Daichi Kamata’s late goal. Ronald Koeman’s side were heavily criticized for their performance and tactical approach in trying to protect their lead.
Van der Vaart led the backlash on Dutch television, denouncing Koeman’s overly negative approach, leaving special criticism for Liverpool and the Dutch captain. “I have to be honest that I was a bit shocked by Van Dijk,” he said, analyzing the winning goal.
“That turn… it felt a bit like a Boeing 747. I hope it will go a little faster during the tournament.” Van Dijk scored the opening goal against Japan and won the Man of the Match award. He dismissed criticism of his team’s approach and ended the debate on Saturday with a 5-1 win over Sweden with braces from Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo.
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But Van Dijk’s former Liverpool manager Klopp had no intention of hiding it. Red Bull’s world football chief, who appeared on German television as a commentator for the game against Sweden, used the opportunity to hit back at Van der Vaart.
“I don’t know if it’s worth mentioning Rafael van der Vaart at all,” Klopp told MagentaTV. “But if he says something positive about the player, I will take him seriously again.
“I feel like he sees something, and he has to express it in a spectacular way, and then he goes against it. But that’s not really important.”
Jurgen Klopp dismisses criticism of Virgil van Dijk (Image: Torbjorn Tande/Getty Images)
Van Dijk’s comments were not the only thing that made Van der Vaart headlines after the draw with Japan. The 43-year-old former playmaker was forced to apologize after saying that Japanese players “look alike.”
Van Dijk wasn’t too busy in the win against Sweden, with Brobbie and Gakpo active at the other end of the pitch. He was slowed by Anthony Elanga, who gave Graham Potter’s side a comfortable win, but enjoyed a much better night overall as he played against Liverpool team-mate Alexander Isak.
However, concerns were raised after the match when the 34-year-old defender revealed he was injured. “It was a little crazy because I had a hard impact in my lower back and couldn’t feel the top of my leg,” Van Dijk told NOS.
“But it’s probably just a pinched nerve. I don’t think it’s too bad, but we’ll see soon.” Van Dijk hopes to be fit for the Netherlands’ final Group F game against bottom-placed Tunisia on Thursday in Kansas City.
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