Van Dijk still Liverpool's spirit animal as City's decay deepens

Imperious defender is central to Slot's success and makes a stark contrast to Haaland's struggles in City's attack

- Barney Ronay

Like crocuses pushing up through the soil, like a first glimpse of a daffodil in spring, you know something's up at West Ham, and indeed Everton, when David Moyes starts turning up on Match of the Day 2 like a hopeful uncle at a funeral, looking trim and urgent, with perhaps a shade of spray-salon, a touch of Ibiza Whisper.

Moyes did a thorough video debrief for the BBC of Virgil van Dijk's defending against Erling Haaland at Anfield. This wasn't the toughest analysis given it basically involved showing Van Dijk gliding about taking the ball away, doing Dad-defender stuff - Erling, we've talked about this, you'll have to wait for Crystal Palace - and generally defanging an elite striker he just seems to have the cheat code to every time.

It was a significant choice of headline act in other ways. There is a parallel track to Liverpool's progress right now. On one side, the Arne Slot rebuild. On the other, the Doomsday Clock countdown around contracts and retention of key parts of the succession; Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

If Van Dijk's performance had wider significance, it lies in the fact he is surely the easiest and most cost-effective for which to make an exception. Here is a 33-year-old who is the defensive armature of this team and its spirit animal through all the recent good times. How do you replace this? You don't. Better to just put it off right up until the day you have no choice.