Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino feels Arsenal defenders Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have both been better than Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk this season.
The Dutch defender has been nominated for the Premier League Player of the Season award for the 2023-24 campaign. However, Cascarino feels that despite having a good season, Van Dijk is behind Arsenal duo of Saliba and Gabriel.
He told TalkSport (Via Rousing the Kop):
“He was really good to a period for a time, but looking over the course of the season, I would certainly say Saliba and Gabriel were better. He didn’t play poorly, that’s for sure.”
Admitting that Van Dijk has had better seasons in the past, Cascarino added:
“I mean, look there were other seasons he has clearly warranted being the number one centre-half, but no, not this season.”
Van Dijk has won the EFL Cup with Liverpool this season, scoring the winner and the only goal in the final at Wembley against Chelsea. Arsenal are currently second in the Premier League title race (two points behind Manchester City), with two games left to play this season.
How has Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk performed when compared against Arsenal duo William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes?
Virgil van Dijk has made 34 appearances for the Reds in the Premier League this season, registering two goals and two assists. He has kept eight clean sheets, making three last-man tackles and blocking nine shots on goal all season.
The 32-year-old has a 186-56 record on duels won-lost and is 134-29 on aerial battles won-lost. The Dutch defender has three yellow cards and one red card to his name.
As for Saliba, he has made 36 PL appearances with two goals and one assist. He has kept 17 clean sheets, the most in the league for a defender. Saliba has three last man tackles and four blocked shots on goals this season.
Saliba has won 126 duels, losing 91 and has a 67-47 record on aerial battles won-lost. The Frenchman has four yellow cards but has not been sent off this season.
Meanwhile, Gabriel has made 34 appearances, scoring four goals. He has kept 14 clean sheets, making two last-man tackles and blocking five shots on goal.
Gabriel has a 156-105 record on duels won-lost and has won 78 aerial battles, losing 63 of them. He, too, has four yellow cards but has not been sent off this season. Gabriel does have one own goal to his name.
Looking at the above stats, one conclusion that we can draw is that while Arsenal have been the better team defensively, Van Dijk has individually done better on duels and aerial battles, proving his mettle in the league.
*All aforementioned stats have been taken from the official site of the Premier League
