Micah Richards says he's seeing something 'strange' from Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool this season

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Virgil van Dijk’s lack of physicality against Wolverhampton Wanderers has led Micah Richards to question the Liverpool centre-back.Van Dijk’s form in 2025/26 has drawn mixed reactions, with the Reds skipper not looking his usual solid self for parts of the campaign.His showing against Wolves on Tuesday wasn’t great, and Richards said it was ‘strange’ that the centre-back was barged off the ball so easily against Rob Edwards’ side. If Gakpo and Salah aren’t to blame for their poor form, then who is? 🤔 Slot was quick to move any blame away from Gakpo after being asked about one goal in nine games…Credit: Molly Darlington/Getty Images Virgil van Dijk barged off the ball too easily vs WolvesSpeaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, the former Manchester City defender questioned whether Van Dijk had become a bad player overnight when discussing the Dutchman with Alan Shearer.Richards said: “So they’re experienced players and reliable players and making those little mistakes, which is costing them and they scored what have conceded late goals in five games now.

And it’s unlike Liverpool and he’s trying to stitch it together because Van Dijk’s not become a bad player overnight, has he?”Shearer responded: “He [Van Dijk] got barged off the ball so easily though, didn’t he?”To which Richards replied: “It’s strange to see.“They just can’t find the balance. I think Slot is finding it hard to get the balance right of what the team needs.

And then they’ll win a couple of games and you think they’re back.” What is the cause of Liverpool’s historically bad late-game management? 👀 Is it complacency, lack of focus, or are they just rattled beyond repair? Wolves’ injury-time winner is the fifth against Liverpool this season — the most in PL history 😬Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images Liverpool’s 2024/25 and 2025/26 defensive records comparedAfter shipping two goals to Wolves in midweek, Arne Slot’s side have now conceded 39 in their opening 29 matches of the campaign.That is the second-worst record of the current top-six sides behind only Manchester United.Meanwhile, at this stage last season, when Liverpool were top of the Premier League with 70 points, they had only conceded 27 times.When all was said and done, the Reds shipped a total of 41 goals in 2024/25, meaning they would only be able to concede two more goals in their remaining games this campaign to match their total from the title-winning season.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox