Virgil van Dijk rarely allows his focus to shift away from his tunnel-vision, one-game-at-a-time winning mentality. But on Saturday evening he allowed himself a glass of red wine with his wife Rike.
He was celebrating. Not necessarily the 4-1 win over Ipswich, or the fact that Liverpool are six points clear with a game in hand to pursue glory. The skipper was scheduled to make 300 appearances in Liverpool.
“I'm very proud, very proud indeed,” said Van Dijk, whose family were at Anfield for his special day. And after marking his triple century, a few big questions come to mind.
Is Van Dijk the best defender in Premier League history? And, perhaps more importantly, how many more games will he play in a Liverpool shirt?
“I have no idea… how many more games are there this season?” he said when questioned. 'Sixteen (in the league) … hopefully those are guaranteed and I don't know what the future will bring.'
Van Dijk is being smart with his words, knowing that fans and the media would descend on him like vultures if he offered more details about his future – but the fact that he is still no closer to knowing where he will be this time next season is completely baffling and worrying for Reds supporters.
Nevertheless, they are enjoying the current day – although this routine victory over Ipswich was probably one of the easiest afternoons Van Dijk has experienced in his 300 games.
They didn't concede a shot until Mark's hour had passed, and goalkeeper Alisson might as well have set up a sun lounger, put on a pipe and read a few chapters of a book for the first 85 minutes until a late Ipswich flurry .
So Saturday won't be one of the first memories when Van Dijk finally retires, although he hasn't picked a favorite moment yet. He said: 'There will be a day, one day, where I think about everything that happened to me in Liverpool and think hard about what stands out. But hopefully there are more things to come. '
The way Liverpool are going, it feels like good things are sure to come this season. Van Dijk will be central there and the statistics support the theory that he is the greatest defender of the modern era.
Since his Liverpool debut, he has made more passes, had a better duel success rate and even scored more goals than any defender in the league. He's also only allowed 0.15 passes per game – barely – and only four guys have played more minutes than him in the stretch, which isn't bad considering he missed almost a full season with injury.
Van Dijk is the key cog in the Liverpool matrix alongside Mohamed Salah, who now sits above Thierry Henry in the all-time Premier League Scorers chart. Frank Lampard and Sergio Aguero are next in his sights.
And captain van Dijk's supremacy is part of a trend of the Dutch firing Liverpool to this title, with Cody Gakpo already matching his league tally for last season (eight) with two goals and Ryan Gravenberch continuing consistent world-class displays . Not to mention the boss Arne Slot.
Gravenberch has been the biggest surprise and Van Dijk said: 'Last year he didn't play that much. But we all saw his quality. For him, keeping his head down and working his socks off was definitely key. This year he has gained confidence and trust.
'He can show his quality week after week and every few days. I'm very impressed with him. Not only on the field but also outside. He is still a young boy, but he is growing into a man.
'The way you approach the game on and off the pitch is very important to be a world-class player. The consistency he shows, he is a world class player. And he can only get better. He just has to keep his head down, keep working and keep enjoying it.
'He learns from difficult moments in games. He has been almost flawless this season. Also how to approach the game – recovery, preparation for training and games, sleep.
“Everything you need to do to be a professional and consistent athlete, he does it the right way. I'm proud of him. I'm not only happy for him, but also for us. He is vital to us. '
Gravenberch and Gakpo are just two players slot has transformed from talented stars who struggle for a starting spot to those who consistently place week in and week out. Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Diaz are others who have found consistency.
It means that even if Salah or Van Dijk are not having a game at their best, others will step up and fire the Reds to results. Not that the pair's level ever dips – in 300 games there haven't been too many bad days for Liverpool captain Fantastic.
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