Former Liverpool defender Neil Ruddock was well-known for his intensity on the football pitch.
Never one to shy away from a tackle – or an argument – there’s a reason Ruddock was given the nickname ‘razor.’
If there’s one true opposite of the way Razor went about his business on the pitch, then it’s Liverpool’s current captain Virgil van Dijk.
Van Dijk is as cool as the proverbial cucumber. But speaking live on air to TalkSPORT this morning, Ruddock suggested that he’d like to see a little more fire in the Dutchman’s performances.
“I’ve watched a lot of him and I think he’s one of those players that has to be cool,” explained the pundit. “He looks cool when he plays, he doesn’t get flustered. Sometimes when I watch him I want to give him a kick up the backside. I want him shouting. I want him effing and blinding at other players.
“I think he’s just one of those natural cool characters and he takes it on a bit. He doesn’t get flustered and I think that’s just the way he plays. I do agree that with the injury he did have, he’s not going to be the player he was but he’s still one of the best in the world for me but I sometimes I think he’s just too cool. I want him to lose his temper, I want him to get the hump.”
Van Dijk urged to show more fire
Last season, with Van Dijk playing poorly, we could understand calls for him to be a bit more aggressive and animated on the pitch.
But this season, we actually think we’re seeing that from the 32-year-old.
