- Liverpool was eliminated from the PSG Champions League
- Rooney believes that Van Dijk had a key role in the goal that had leveled the tie
- Listen now: Everything is starting! With the Premier League probably ensuring five places in the Champions League, are we rewarding mediocrity?
Wayne Rooney has pointed out the 'lazy' defense of Virgil Van Dijk for the crucial objective of Paris Saint-Germain, since Liverpool was eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Liverpool was defeated 4-1 by penalties by the French champions in Anfield to get out of the competition in the last stage of 16.
The Arne Slot side had had a 1-0 advantage from the first leg, but the PSG level the draw in the 12th minute of the second leg through Ousmane Dembele.
Dembele scored from a short distance after a rapid attack by PSG, and the striker initially found Bradley Barcola in the right wing.
The Cruz de Barcola led to the confusion between Alisson and Ibrahima Konate and the Liverpool defender only managed to divert the ball on the dembele path to finish.
Despite the confusion between Alisson and Konate, former forward Man United and England striker Rooney highlighted Van Dijk's role in the goal.
Virgil Van Dijk has been criticized for the 'lazy' defense for the objective of PSG of Wayne Rooney
Dembele scored a short distance after confusion, but Rooney pointed out problems previously in the movement
Rooney said that Van Dijk's failure to track Dembele had allowed him to receive the ball in space
Rooney said that Van Dijk had been 'lazy' not tracking Dembele before in the movement, since the striker fell towards the midline to receive possession of his defenders.
Dembele had received the ball in space before turning and throwing the attack, which led PSG to level the draw.
“This objective from the perspective of Liverpool is incorrect in many ways,” Rooney said at Amazon Prime.
'They are trying to press the ball and Van Dijk becomes lazy.
'If you watch Van Dijk, he is walking and leaves a mass gap to Dembele.
'All you have to do is find and cover Dembele because there is no other pass for Paris to come out and not.
'Dembele understands it and has a lot of space, take out the ball and then Konate does not turn on and then reacts.
“Dembele makes a good career and gets a touch.”
Liverpool was defeated 4-1 in a PSG penalty shooting to retire from competition
Van Dijk insisted that Liverpool would be ready for his next challenge in the Copao Cup final
The last tie was ultimately by a penalty shooting with the two-legged contest that ended the level in 1-1.
Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones lost from the place when Liverpool withdrew from the competition.
The Reds will seek to recover in the Capao Cup final against Newcastle on Sunday, while the slot team is ongoing to win the Premier League after having set a 15 -point advantage at the top.
Van Dijk, who is not a contract at the end of the season, expressed his disappointment for his departure from the Champions League.
Liverpool captain emphasized that the team would be ready for the next challenge.
“It was a great very intense football game,” he said. 'I think it was obviously a totally different Liverpool than we showed in Paris, but unfortunately we are in sanctions and that is reality.
'I think that in the first half we create dangerous moments (as well as in the second half) and obviously you know that they also have the quality of creating them. Finally it is reduced to sanctions and unfortunately we lost.
'It is part of football. I told the boys: “Obviously, you can be disappointed because we are out of the competition, but it is on your chin and prepare for the next challenge.” It is beautiful the weekend, so let's go again.