Paul Merson has admitted that "nobody is scared of Virgil van Djik anymore" as he delivers a damning verdict on the Liverpool centre-back following his below-par start to the season.
The Reds have kept just two Premier League clean sheets all campaign and Van Djik's dip in form has contributed to their downturn in defensive fortunes. Arsenal managed to bypass that Liverpool back-line easily as they scored three goals against Jurgen Klopp's men last weekend - enough to earn the Gunners a 3-2 win.
Van Djik hasn't been himself this season and doesn't look up to speed compared to previous campaigns - where he was renowned as one of the best defenders in the world. The Dutchman was named in the Premier League Team of the Year last season after recovering from a serious ACL injury.
But the 31-year-old will be looking to return to his best when Liverpool host Manchester City in a huge game at Anfield on Sunday afternoon. There is huge anticipation surrounding one particular battle as Erling Haaland comes up against Van Djik. Merson, however, doesn't think the Norwegian will fear him.
He said in his Daily Star column: "The Manchester City game is massive for Liverpool, they are already 14 points behind Arsenal. Arsenal play Leeds and you expect them to win and if Liverpool lose to City, they're 17 points behind. Where do you get that from?
"It's mission impossible because you're not just chasing one team. It gets so complicated. But I just don't see how Liverpool stop City. They're not carrying that fear at the moment.
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"Nobody is scared of Virgil van Dijk anymore. He used to have that fear factor, nobody would want to dribble at him. They would cross the ball when they should have taken him on.
"City are ruthless and they will punish any sort of hesitation at the back. I think Pep Guardiola's men will win 3-1."
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp is aware of the challenge that awaits his side, having already played City three times this calendar year - in the FA Cup, Premier League and Community Shield. Interestingly, Liverpool are unbeaten in those encounters, defeating the Sky Blues on the eve of the season at the King Power Stadium back in July.
Klopp said: "Look, when you play City, results left and right are not really important because this game requires all your focus, requires all the things you know about football. It's everything.
"I said it a couple of times, I enjoy preparing the game really but it's anyway the biggest challenge you can face in football. Football is all about closing down spaces, closing down players, having challenges in the right areas, these kind of things.
"And with City, it's always if you close them down here, then they are there and if you close that gap, you open up that gap – because the pitch is so big and we only have 10 players to close all the gap. So, always a challenge."
