Van Dijk's performance and Iraola's future at Liverpool

Liverpool lost 3-2 to Fenerbahçe in their Champions League away match. With this result, the club lost two matches in a row for the first time in seven months. Young players Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha made a positive impression. In contrast, the club's former stars Virgil van Dijk and Alisson looked unusually out of form.

Some fans want Andoni Iraola to switch to a back three. With this change, the ground 35-year-old Van Dijk has to cover will shrink. Other fans are calling for him to be left out of the squad entirely. So what do the numbers say, and is this the beginning of the end of Van Dijk's career at Anfield?

Van Dijk has not had a good start under Iraola. In the opening week of the season, in the match against Newcastle that ended 2-2, Anthony Elanga scored within the first five minutes after a pass from William Osula. Van Dijk could not stop the opponent in that attack. The centre-back, approaching the end of his career, is not built to keep pace with the fastest forwards in Europe. The high pressing system also adds to his difficulties, as it leaves defenders 40 to 50 yards from goal. Van Dijk said after the Chelsea match last month that this is a different period. He said the team needs to find a balance between building play under pressure and playing direct.

According to Gradient Sports data, Van Dijk's overall rating rose from 74.6 in the first four weeks to 79.9 in the following five weeks. His challenge rating went up from 75.0 to 80.7, and his clearance rating rose from 73.0 to 83.7. Gradient rates players' on-field actions on a scale from 0 to 100.