Liverpool fans have been fuming on Twitter over comments made by Paul Merson about Virgil van Dijk.
This comes after Liverpool fan Twitter account @AnfieldWatch shared a post on their page that included Merson’s quotes, as well as an article from the Liverpool Echo about it.
The Sky Sports pundit said he would like to see how Liverpool would perform without the Dutchman in the same way Manchester City have played most of the season without their star defender Aymeric Laporte in their squad.
This post then gathered many replies from Liverpool fans who did not appreciate Merson’s wishes to see Van Dijk get injured in the same way Laporte did.
Should Paul Merson apologise for his comments on Liverpool?
Yes
No
Here’s a sample of Liverpool fans criticising Merson for his comments:
So Merson is wishing a serious injury on Van Dijk, one that lasts “for three months”, because that’s what a 3 month injury is. This man is unstable and should apologise to the player he’s referring to.
— whatcouldgowrong (@lunnyJ65) December 3, 2019
Wow, that’s a nice thing to say
— Cameron H (@Cam3ronLFC) December 3, 2019
I’d like not to see Paul Merson on the TV but we can’t have everything.
— Matt Elliott (@mattelll) December 3, 2019
The ex-Arsenal midfielder also said he would like to see how Jurgen Klopp’s side would cope without star attackers Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. For a team aiming to secure their first-ever Premier League title, these comments about potential injuries did not go down well with some Liverpool fans.
Ok, with that logic in mind, let’s see Barcelona without Messi and Suarez etc. If you take the best players out of a team, funnily enough, the team won’t be as good! Have a day off Merse.
— Chris Toft (@ChrisToft1986) December 3, 2019
The problem is he knows nothing. He doesn’t keep up to date, he’s the worse pundit on TV (and that’s saying something). I think people feel sorry for him because of his issues. Liverpool have their best midfielder and their 2nd best CH out long term.
— mmm (@roscoe_2000) December 3, 2019
What is this tripe???? So see a team with injuries affecting their first team . Who would want to see that in any team. I want to see every team in the league at full strength week in week out, but that’s not gonna happen.
— Headly lamarr (@Maggers24G) December 3, 2019
What do we think?
Merson’s point is that he would like to know if Liverpool would be able to cope without their big players like Van Dijk, Mane and Salah. But when he talked about them getting injured, that’s what triggered the Liverpool fans into thinking he has something against the team. If he could have articulated his point better without mentioning the injuries, he would never have got this much backlash.