Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand and legendary Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger have been among the critics of Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk, after the Dutch defender was caught out for Luis Suarez's opening goal in the Champions League semi-final.
The 27-year-old has so often been solid for the Reds this season, winning the PFA Player of the Year award for his efforts this week, but he was left standing as Suarez slipped in between him and central defensive partner Joel Matip to open the scoring in Barca's 3-0 victory.
And Ferdinand, who featured four times against Barcelona over the course of his career, was quick to criticise him for his role in the opener on BT Sport (as quoted by The Mirror) after the match.
"Virgil van Dijk is at fault," Ferdinand said. "
"That’s your man with the number nine on the back of his shirt.
Rio Ferdinand's analysis of Barcelona's first goal: "Virgil van Dijk is at fault here.
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) May 2, 2019
“He can see Suarez, he’s pointing where he wants it, it’s not rocket science.
“That’s your man, the number nine on the back of his shirt. Static. And that’s criminal in that position." pic.twitter.com/CwLmZeuqxE
"He has got to be Matip’s eyes and ears. He’ll be disappointed with that."
Wenger also chimed in, telling beIN Sports:
"Especially from a central defender with that quality, he lets him go. From the start, his position is not bad but he refuses to respond."
It was a poor night for Liverpool as a whole, with Messi adding two further strikes to leave them on the brink of elimination from the Champions League, unless they have another European miracle up their sleeves.
Source : 90min