Virgil van Dijk is facing criticism from some fans after making comments about Matthijs de Ligt following the Netherlands' 2-2 draw against Germany. During the match, De Ligt, who currently plays for Bayern Munich, was at fault for Germany's first goal after losing possession in his own half, leading to Deniz Undav's equalizer. De Ligt was substituted at halftime by Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman, who brought on Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke in his place.
After the match, Van Dijk, who partnered with De Ligt in the center of defense, addressed the mistake in his comments, stating, "This is football. You have to learn from this. It was one moment, but at the highest level, you will get punished for it."
However, some fans were unhappy with Van Dijk’s comments, suggesting that he was also at fault during the match, particularly for Germany’s second goal. Critics pointed out that Van Dijk failed to mark Joshua Kimmich at the back post, which allowed Kimmich to score easily. Fans on social media expressed their views, with some arguing that Van Dijk should have taken more responsibility for his own mistake rather than focusing on De Ligt's error.
One fan commented that Van Dijk "was sleeping and couldn't even mark the back post," while another noted that out of the three Netherlands players involved in the buildup to the goal, De Ligt was "the least at fault." Another fan suggested that Van Dijk's reputation often overshadows his actual performances, leading to others being unfairly blamed.
This backlash highlights the scrutiny top players face, especially in high-stakes international matches, where any mistakes are heavily analyzed and can lead to criticism, even from within the team. Despite the criticisms, both Van Dijk and De Ligt will likely focus on moving forward and learning from their performances as they continue their international duties.
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