Alan Shearer and Micah Richards say Jaap Stam is better than Virgil van Dijk.
Alan Shearer and Micah Richards say Jaap Stam is a better player than Virgil van Dijk. The pair are considered the best in Premier League history.
Alan Shearer and Micah Richards ranked the top 10 centre-backs in Premier League history for the Top 10 Match of the Day – and their selections were controversial. Both decided to shortlist former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam ahead of Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.
Gary Lineker decided to address the issue and Shearer explained his decision to choose the fighter he plays against.”I confronted him,” Shearer said. “He can be as tough as he can be, make good plays and play a little more physical.
If I remember correctly he did that for three seasons at Manchester United and they won the title every year.“Every year he played for United he was named in the PFA Team of the Year.
Yes, it’s very nice and fast. “It was still a big frame, but it was still fast.”Richards said Van Dijk could have been better. “The only thing I thought about was why I could bring up Van Dijk but not because of what Allan said, but without Van Dijk I don’t think (Liverpool) would be there.” will win the “competition”.
It’s true that it’s not easy to know where to start with all of this.Van Dijk praising Stam for “being able to play a bit” when he was one of the best defenders is another matter, as is Stam’s speed. Very obviously beating you.
Shearer is right. Stam won the Premier League title in all three seasons at United and also won the PFA Team of the Year award in each season. After all, he won the third year despite playing 15 games (and fewer than 14 in the 1990s), so we’re not entirely sure how valid that claim is.
However, it doesn’t hurt to compare Van Dijk with his individual awards. Because he has played more Premier League games than any other defender. 3 PFA Team of the Year awards, PFA Player of the Year award, Ballon d’Or runner-up…Richards is probably getting close to that point eventually.
Without Van Dijk in defence, Liverpool would not have won the title or achieved the goalscoring record. United replaced Stam with Rio Ferdinand and won straight away. But Van Dijk is irreplaceable. Maybe he needs to retire for people to fully understand this.
