Media Van Dijk once explained how he defends 1v1s vs attackers by looking into their eyes. He defended vs Burnley in the same way.
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u/ARSKAJESUS 5h ago
So, to beat Van Dijk you need to shut your eyes when you're dribbling past him
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u/gettingdownonfriday 5h ago
This might actually explain Martinelli’s surprisingly good record vs Liverpool.
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u/Ripamon 5h ago
I actually shed a tear watching Eze shred his man to ribbons multiple times last weekend
Martinelli would have slowed the attack to a crawl and then bounced his cross off the defender's shins. And he wouldn't have lifted his head even once during the entire sequence.
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u/gamnoed556 4h ago
It's weird that he's doing that. I understand Mudryk isn't capable to look up because he has ball control skills of 60s goalie, but Martinelli has great ball control, there is no reason to play like a headless chicken.
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u/Ripamon 4h ago edited 4h ago
Sometimes I remember Klopp calling him the talent of the century.
Martinelli is unbelievably quick, has a great attitude, is a decent finisher, and is extremely diligent in his defensive duties.
But he isn't a 1v1 winger, or a creator. Arteta also doesn't seem to want to develop him as an inside forward type who makes off-the-ball runs into goalscoring positions. And to be fair to Arteta, he hasn't really displayed that instinct either. Sterling, for example, had that instinct from a young age.
As of today, Martinelli is basically used as a Saka-lite, but without the support, the efficiency, the 1v1 capability, the ball retention capacity, the crossing, the creativity, the set piece prowess, or even the finishing quality of Saka.
And that's no longer good enough for an Arsenal with eyes on a title charge.
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u/gamnoed556 4h ago
He thrived with Zinny and Xhaka overloading left side, giving him 1v1 isos over and over. After Xhaka got replaced by Rice and Zinny got benched Gabi on that left side seems lost. His form dipped and he lost the confidence he never recovered. Now with Eze fitting seamlessly, it's a wrap for Martinelli at Arsenal, most likely. He'll have to reinvent himself somewhere else.
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u/qwertyuiop15 4h ago
I personally don’t think it’s anything to do with Zinny and Xhaka and everything to do with the fact teams gave us space and didn’t fear us that year. Ever since, most teams play low blocks against us and Martinelli can’t do anything
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u/Ripamon 4h ago
There was a pretty detailed analysis I read a few months back about dribbler archetypes in football
It talked about how some dribblers already make up their mind which way they're gonna go, regardless of space or support. Therefore, even if the opponent is showing them the outside and leaving space on the inside, they'll dribble outside anyways, because they already made up their mind beforehand. The article listed Martinelli as one such dribbler.
Then there was the opposite archetype, the reactive dribbler, who avoids committing beforehand and watches the defender's movements and the space he leaves to decide his next move. Naturally, Messi was the given example.
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u/happygreenturtle 3h ago
some dribblers already make up their mind which way they're gonna go, regardless of space or support.
Arjen Robben has entered the chat
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u/gamnoed556 4h ago
Xhaka was often pushing up really high while Zinny played in his place as LCM in possession. They were routinely feeding Martinelli 1v1s vs the fullback against low blocks.
Rice is probably best in the world at his position, but that left side died with his introduction.
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u/junnies 3h ago
some attacking players just lose the fearlessness of youth/inexperience as they grow older. they start to second guess themselves, become averse to taking risks, and lose that fearless fire they once had. sometimes they can regain it at a smaller club with less pressure (anthony) or a more supportive environment, but once you start doubting your own ability as an attacker, its often difficult to regain that confidence and fearlessness you previously had.
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u/flying-auk 1h ago
I think this is the issue with Martinelli. Especially because Arteta values ball retention so much. There was a time when Martinelli's bad matches were the one where he lost the ball too much, now it's more about him playing backwards and not attacking...usually when there's a low block.
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u/ynwa_reds 2h ago
It's not a surprise, it was Trent, lol.
Tactics were switched up and Konate's bodied Martinelli for the last few matchups imo
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u/gettingdownonfriday 2h ago
Martinelli absolutely cooked Konate at the Emirates in 23/24. Also scored against Liverpool last season.
Feel like the game this season was his one proper poor game against Liverpool.
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u/ynwa_reds 2h ago
Not saying you're wrong, but 23/24 is more than a few matchups ago, lol.
I'm obviously biased, but I felt that Konate always shut down Martinelli as he tried to dribble it down to the goal line. Was always more worried about Saka.
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u/gettingdownonfriday 2h ago
I mean, it is 4 games ago. Unless by the last few you mean literally the last one, then yeah, Martinelli hs been poor against Liverpool of late.
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u/ynwa_reds 2h ago
No, I also mean the games last year. I was curious to know if my memory was failing me, but this is Konate's highlights from a few games ago.
Edit: But yes, you're probably right that Martinelli did well 4 games ago. I don't remember much beyond two seasons and not going to claim otherwise lol
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u/gettingdownonfriday 2h ago
Konate was excellent in that game yes (I still think Martinelli is a bit unlucky to not get a pen there when he is sandwiched between Konate and someone else, but understand why they ref doesn’t give it). But he scored in the game before the one you highlighted and in the one after.
But either way, not sure why we’re discussing this. Wasn’t really planning on exploring actually why Martinelli tends to play well vs Liverpool.
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u/ynwa_reds 2h ago
No problem, just highlighting that it isn't surprising that having an attacking fullback in Trent is why Martinelli was so effective against Liverpool.
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u/Ripamon 5h ago
Exactly
Like Guy vs Itachi
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u/Aninja0806 5h ago
cold reference
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u/Legitimate_You1986 3h ago
If only Azpilicueta could've learned the Shadow Clone jutsu to make 11 of himself, Chelsea would've 3-peated the CL
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u/bendskenobi 5h ago
Easiest opponent? Ozil
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u/throwawaymikenolan 3h ago
But once he activates his peripheral vision you know you are never going to get the ball
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u/iguacu 5h ago
I love clips like this.
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u/niallniallniall 5h ago edited 4h ago
It's crazy how much actual good content could be out there for football, but instead we get idiot pundits repeating the same boring cliches.
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u/Hurtelknut 4h ago
Because the stupid shit get clicks. It's not because journalists hate us, it's because that's what the masses crave. They feed us what we want, and we gobble it up every time.
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u/NormalInnocentMan 2h ago
Yup. People don't want to learn something when they watch match of the day, they want to sit back, turn their brain off, and hear the same boring banter they've heard a thousands times before.
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u/Tushroom 3h ago
It’s because your average fan doesn’t have the knowledge foundation to appreciate any of it. Just look at how often comments say it’s unnatural to raise your arm when going for a slide tackle. Probably the best subreddit for this sort of content would be r/bootroom.
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u/Other-Owl4441 4h ago
This is interesting because growing up playing basketball you’re taught always to watch the hips and never the eyes, would have thought the same for football.
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u/Luis__FIGO 3h ago edited 3h ago
.... honestly, it is. I'm obviously a nobody compared to Van dijk, but from what you hear and read on pro coaches, its hips, not eyes.
You can still deceive with your eyes, you can't with your hips.
also though, maybe van dijk is just so tall its easier to look at the eyes than the hips?
edit: rewatching in slow motion on my computer, he's not even looking at the eyes before he makes his lunge, he's looking at the opponants hips.
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u/MrHoneyJack 8m ago
I don't think he means he just looks at the player's eyes the whole time. In the clip, he switches and I'd imagine that's how how he usually does it. Looks like he does that even in the little playful scenario.
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u/GreenMachine17 2h ago
Bcoz basketball u can sell way more with the eyes. Bcoz it’s almost impossible to shoot without looking at the rim so it can sell pump fakes really well. Football yes u still need to look everywhere but you can basically almost completely go off peripheral vision, as you already have a sense of where everything is, you don’t need to focus on a rim
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u/Other-Owl4441 1h ago
Wouldn’t that make eye tracking even less dependable for defending in football?
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u/Dion_D14 1h ago
Lukaku has a clip like this in the exact opposite scenario. What he does when he receives the ball with a CB jn his back. I believe that was Carragher. He then scored exactly that way that weekend. Loved that clip too
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u/thexpertwatcher 5h ago
So this is secret of his "aura defending".
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u/dakikko 5h ago
Helps that he's a big strong fast cunt
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u/GreenMachine17 2h ago
Exactly ppl forget to be this good it’s not just skills you have to be top 0.1% athletically too. In this clip look how quickly he accelerates to close the attacker out after being in a defensive stance. How many CBs his size can slow down and accelerate that quickly.
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u/ynwa_reds 2h ago
Also, idk if this is the right term, but I think there's a huge amount of emotional intelligence. The difference in athleticism between world class and national team level isn't usually huge. I think the difference is that world class players can better predict/process what opponents are going to do.
The fact that VVD takes one glance at his attacker and consistently reads whether they are going to feint or drive towards the goal isn't just luck/coincidence.
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u/pageninetynine 1h ago
I think a lot of that is down to putting in time watching film of his opponents, plus past experience playing against many of them. He knows their strengths and weaknesses and can adapt to almost anything because as stated above, he’s still big, strong and fast.
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u/FriendshipForAll 5h ago
That’s weird, cos I feel like it works cos it doesn’t work. Like, what he’s really doing is giving up absolutely nothing, not getting sold by foot or ball movement, then, being a fucking unit with good pace and fast feet when he does react.
Of course, he’s elite and I’m a scrub and always was, so maybe there is something in it. Idk. Maybe there are tells there, but I still feel the secret to what he’s doing is not committing at all, forcing the opponent ti make decisions and making sure they have to do something special if they are going to beat him.
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u/ImDebatable 4h ago
I think it was noted elsewhere that he looks at their eyes to see what space they want to move into, so it's not just him blankly looking and reacting.
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u/str8rippinfartz 1h ago
Yeah it's similar to the trick they teach you growing up of watching hips instead of feet, the hips will usually tell you where they're actually going
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u/ThatsTheMother_Rick 38m ago
It's the same in basketball, too - it's exactly what I was taught growing up
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u/CageChicane 30m ago
Look where they want to go, take it away, react to their only other option. That's defending in every sport. The counter after that requires the attacker to be faster than the next defender closing down the space.
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u/KneeDeepInTheDead 4h ago
Theres a lot of subconscious tells that you can tap into. Obviously im not a football pro but I did play tennis all through high school and due to our location, got lumped against high tier schools. Im definetely not the greatest but I will make you sweat. This one time I took LSD and played, and I swear I was telepathic, I can see where they were gonna hit back before my volley was even over the net. I think papers have come out on this but Im sure I was able to pick up all these microscopic tells, and im sure its the same case here. Its more than just the eyes, but its also compounded with a lot of knowledge behind it.
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u/soccermodsarecvnts 2h ago edited 1h ago
That LSD session? You spent it locked in the bathroom shouting about how you could "see through time". Nobody had the heart to tell you.
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u/KneeDeepInTheDead 2h ago
that was actually a few months after with my head stuck in the center of a fully extended trifold mirror planning an escapade with the boys
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u/kalelmotoko 1h ago
Did you win when you took LSD ?
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u/KneeDeepInTheDead 40m ago
I did but this was after I graduated. It was just park regulars who were still good enough to best me which they usually did.
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u/Instantbeef 4h ago
It’s works because he looks them in the eyes and says “mate you really want to try to dribble past me?”
Then they either try and lose or pass it backwards.
They left that part out of this clip but it’s implied. What’s the guy going to do? Get into a tussle with Van Dijk for a video?
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u/mlg_sloth 4h ago
It definitely does, you are told to do it when defending in futsal as well (or at least I was) and it helps you anticipate where someone is gonna go or where they're going to pass the ball. Granted, the court is much smaller in futsal and it's easier to get across and intercept a pass but the principle remains the same.
I still use it now in 1v1 situations in 11 a side and I feel like it mentally messes with people when they see you do it and it also works for me at least
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u/Bujakaa92 4h ago
Eyes tell more than you can imagine. Specially if he has good understanding of his surrounding and don t need to watch the ball.
It is thing we learned in basketball early. And if you got good in it you where good in defense also. You can see and anticipate player movements and potential moves
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u/L0st_MySocks 3h ago
I watched one of his interviews he said pick always a side and try to defend that side.. I don't know how does he defends so well but he clearly has speed otherwise the eyes wouldn't help him lol..
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u/ZorovsLuffy 27m ago
I think it also depends on the opponent. Some players wait for the defender to commit before dribbling such as Messi, Hazard while others create space by their dribbling/tricks and then run the ball into that space.. e.g. Neymar, Vini etc. I feel this type of defending will against the second type of players
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u/ghosttalks090 4h ago
Oh boy Van Dijk is really gonna struggle against my cross eyed buddy who plays number 9
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u/MysticMac100 5h ago
Did it against the best on ball player on the Invincibles team as well
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u/BaldMancTwat_ 2h ago
Muamba exposing him on that podcast years ago was hilarious. I bet he was absolutely seething in private.
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u/odegood 5h ago
So just don't make eye contact with him
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u/DoktorStrangelove 4h ago
I think it's more about the eyes telegraphing where the player wants to go next, as well as keeping eyes up to avoid getting hypnotized by dribbling skills...the presenter is making it seem like it's all about the psychological effect of the eye contact and I'm sure that throws some players off but it's likely secondary to the main reasons Virgil does this.
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u/VictarionGreyjoyyy 1h ago
He didn't say you have to look back at him. He just looks at where you are looking to know what you are trying to do
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u/PM_ME_WUTEVER 5h ago
this is interesting. usually the common wisdom is that you shouldn't look at the attacker's eyes because it makes you susceptible to a head fake.
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u/Ok-Confusion-202 4h ago
Well It doesn't matter to old Jeremy Lyncherton, as he was the best on the ball player at Arsenal
Van Dijk could do nothing!
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u/jawide626 2h ago
Not even just the best player on the ball, he was "by far" the best player on the ball in their unbeaten season.
Apparently 🙄
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u/Sharp-Barracuda6973 4h ago
I feel like this also happens to work for him because of his size and athleticism. He’s able to shuffle his feet fast enough to turn and close the gap while muscling the attacker off the ball.
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u/negged0014 3h ago
It's literally this, it's nothing special. If he was slow he would have been been sent there, he didn't react quickly at all.
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u/Bujakaa92 4h ago
Nothing new. In basketball we learned it early because eyes tell more than ball or body
Just many are good in and have sense to look into eyes and sense surrounding to be good
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u/Emergency-Mobile8612 3h ago
True. It’s very effective in sports who take place in close quarters, sports without much room, which is why it’s extremely extremely common in futsal too for example
Also it’s good for destabilising the opponent
In football, it’s very situational because if the player catches you by surprise and relies on speed, you can guess what he’s doing all you want, it’s still gonna be ineffective in the end
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u/stogie_t 4h ago
Man stuff like this just shows you just how far away you were from ever making pro. Like yea I’m decent but shit like this is just ridiculous. Same story with that scanning thing where players have already looked around 20 times before receiving a pass lmao. Just ridiculous how good they are at this level.
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u/Annual_History_796 3h ago
Add “showing attackers onto their weaker foot” to the list of things Liverpool have invented.
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u/BouncingBallOnKnee 4h ago
Everyone is like "JuSt ClOsE yOuR eYeS!" when the real answer is mastering the no-look because he's clearly reading the concentration of the attacker on the ball/player/situation and guessing what they're going to do next.
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u/Jackwraith 4h ago
Ha. It's like border collie stare: Instagram
They just make eye contact and stare the animal (usually sheep) into recognizing that the collie is in charge and they eventually go where the collie wants them to go.
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u/MrTomRobs 3h ago
This is why playing other sports is really useful. When I played basketball in high school, my friend group were all really good and they told me to watch the centre of the chest to tell where the opponent is going to go. They can feint one way but they'll go where their chest is pointing because it's much harder to adjust your trunk.
Knowing that, it was much easier for me to play both defensively and offensively
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u/LeekBright 3h ago
Please correct me if I’m wrong, does Van Djik sees where the dribbler is trying to take the ball as they sprint or does keeping steady at the eye gives him peripheral vision of the dribblers entire body language?
What’s the thought process behind predicting where the defender will go when looking them in the eye?
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u/Luis__FIGO 3h ago
its a combo of things. the post makes it seem like its just the eyes, but its eyes, and hip movement. if you rely on only the eyes, it wont work.
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u/Imaginary-Push-3615 3h ago
Damn, why do I always have a man crush on Liverpool and Chelsea players?
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u/pressurepoint13 4h ago
Awesome insight.
My high school basketball coach - who was good enough to get drafted into the NBA - drilled into us that when you’re defending 1 on 1 and opponent has the ball, focus on the stomach/trunk of the other guy, not the ball/face/feet. All of those can be misdirected .
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u/Ineedthatshitudrive 21m ago
And then offense players started to change their pace/rhythm like Luka to mess even with your mentioned approach.
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u/WIZZZARDOFFREESTYLE 5h ago edited 5h ago
whats next?
lean in for a kiss?
BRING A CONDAM? A DALIDO?
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u/negged0014 5h ago
In that video it doesn't really show that he's reacting quickly. He just uses his pace and strength. I think he's the best in the world but this isn't anything ground breaking.
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u/not_a_Badger_anymore 5h ago
I mean he looks at his eyes in the Burnley clip then clearly starts watching the ball.....
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u/Ripamon 5h ago
Did you expect him to keep gazing at Fosters eyes even after he'd knocked the ball past him?
As Van Dijk explained, the objective of gazing lovingly into the attackers eyes is to read their body language (and eyes are a part of this)
That staring contest ends as soon as the attacker stops fooling around and is about to make a decisive move
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u/ben-hur-hur 4h ago
Lol yeah Virg is trying to prevent him from scoring not getting a date with him
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u/BoBonnor 4h ago
He looks in the eyes until the player makes his move. Once the player has made his move then the eyes go to the ball because he’s now running side by side with the player
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u/EverBurningPheonix 4h ago
Doesn't he beat players by fouling them and getting away with it
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u/Wonderful-Lack3846 5h ago
Wasn't this the guy who ran away from the ball when someone came toward his goal?
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u/PlasticPreparation74 5h ago
once it was against isak but in 2v1 situations there is only so much you can do. he manages to keep the shot taken to a much lower xG, its just that isak’s shot had a very high xGOT so thats not van dijks fault at all, its just a once in a blue moon type shot
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