Support for Virgil van Dijk after row: 'Take on Valentijn Driessen and slag him off'
René van der Gijp is amazed by the way Dutch journalists sometimes treat Virgil van Dijk. According to the analyst from Dordrecht, it is a world away from the way the Netherlands captain is approached at Liverpool.
Van Dijk was involved in an exchange with Valentijn Driessen at a press moment last week, after Driessen accused the Netherlands international of being 'sullen'. Van Dijk hit back by saying that he 'can't just keep listening to all that whining all the time'.
"Just imagine. You play in the Premier League and are regarded by almost everyone with status, whether it's Wayne Rooney or Gary Lineker, as one of the best central defenders ever. And in the Netherlands they dismiss you as the stopper for IJsselmeervogels. That's not nice," Van der Gijp said on Monday on the KieftJansenEgmondGijp podcast.
Presenter Michel van Egmond also sees a huge difference between the approach in the Netherlands and in England. "Over there in England you have all these men in suits and ties, from very big, renowned newspapers. In neat English, they can absolutely cut you down to size if necessary, but with a certain regard."
"And then you come to the Netherlands. Lads in jeans, slouched back. And in basic secondary-school English they fire all sorts of rockets at you," Van Egmond sighs as he assesses the Dutch sports journalists.
Rob Jansen then offers Van Dijk some sincere advice. "Do you know what you should do, Virgil? Start laughing a lot. Treat this completely with humour. But you have to be able to do that. You can see on his face that he is very angry. He is so experienced and has been through everything. Take on Valentijn (Driessen, ed.). Tear him apart, put him in his place, go after other journalists. Then the Netherlands will laugh."
Van der Gijp thinks that is easier said than done. "Hang on, Rob. It's not just Valentijn, is it? It's also Marco van Basten, it's Ruud Gullit, who simply dismiss Van Dijk as 'not a leader'. And they have done for years. In England he is virtually elevated above everyone."
