Virgil van Dijk debunks "vulnerable" Liverpool myth and sounds Champions League warning

Virgil van Dijk insists Liverpool have been made to look far more "vulnerable" than they actually are as a result of the altered offside rule.

The law was tweaked ahead of the 2020/21 season and stipulates the linesman should keep their flag down when there is "an immediate goalscoring opportunity", even if they suspect there has been an offside infringement in the build-up. Once a goal has been scored or the chance has gone, the official then raises their flag to mark the original offence.

Liverpool employ a high defensive line under Jurgen Klopp, so they often appear to give up chances to opposition forwards only for there to be a delayed offside call. Van Dijk is not a fan of the adjusted rule as he believes it makes the Reds seem less defensively solid than they are.

"It's obviously been going on since I've been at the club," the Dutch defender said of Liverpool's high line. "It's now being highlighted but I think if you look back at the last couple of seasons we were always trying to play with a high line.

We don't play an offside [trap] but obviously if you can put the player offside it's only an advantage. I think this season and last season when we started with the rule that we keep playing on and then the linesman puts the flag up, it looks like we are conceding chances against us.

"Even the other day when Ali [Alisson] had to make the save, it looked like we are vulnerable when he's offside. I think that rule first of all has to get out of the way but the other thing is the high line, we don't speak about it personally a lot but on the pitch you definitely have to communicate and I'm always trying to do that."

Liverpool's defence is operating at the peak of its powers and the Anfield club have conceded