Virgil van Dijk believes Real Madrid ‘ganged up’ on Trent Alexander-Arnold once Mo Salah went off injured in Champions League final
- Sergio Ramos injured Mo Salah in now infamous collision in Kiev showpiece
- Trent Alexander-Arnold was then exposed to more attacking players on flank
- Virgil van Dijk believes it was deliberate that Real Madrid players targeted him
Virgil van Dijk believes Real Madrid’s players ‘ganged up’ on Trent Alexander-Arnold in the Champions League final.
The Liverpool centre-back noted that Real flooded the right flank after Mo Salah was forced off with his shoulder injury.
He thinks it was a key moment of the game, as it allowed the Spanish side more freedom to attack the inexperienced academy graduate.
Virgil van Dijk believes Real Madrid targeted young right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold
After Mo Salah went off, the Spanish side were not afraid of the counter attacking as much
‘Mentally, something changed for Real Madrid once Salah left the pitch,’ Van Dijk told De Telegraaf.
‘Suddenly Marcelo, Benzema and Ronaldo all ganged up against our young right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and left the whole right flank free.
‘With Salah, they would not have dared.’
Van Dijk believes the injury to Salah changed the way Real approached the game tactically
Real went on to win the final in Kiev 3-1 after a brace from Gareth Bale and one from Karim Benzema, with Reds goalkeeper Loris Karius at fault for two of the goals.
Alexander-Arnold acquitted himself admirably in such trying circumstances and his stock continues to grow in a Liverpool shirt.
Van Dijk’s claims do not take a huge leap of imagination as a team with as much European experience as the champions could easily have earmarked the right side as an area to exploit without the pace of Salah to concern them on the counter attack.
Marclo and Co flooded Alexander-Arnold’s flank and overloaded the right side of the pitch
