And, of course, the Dutch captain is always composed in possession. He recognises the best moments to step into midfield – such as above, in the 3-1 win over Manchester United – and won’t do it unless he’s absolutely sure of progressing the ball. Fellow centre-back John Stones – another who likes to step into midfield – may do this more often, but the Dutchman’s greater circumspection about doing so produces more stability for his team. It’s no shock that the Reds have the best defensive record in the league this season.

Tactical analysis

Liverpool’s defensive instabilities in recent seasons have been well documented. Even in 2013/14, when they came so close to winning the Premier League under Brendan Rodgers, they conceded 50 goals – four more than Southampton in eighth.

Van Dijk’s clear leadership in Klopp’s team has been evident from the moment he joined, and has without doubt contributed to the development of young defenders such as Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold around him. He is a constant source of information, reassurance and encouragement to his defensive teammates – a quality that has arguably been missing from the Liverpool defence since the departures of Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher, and which will also have helped new goalkeeper Alisson to settle in as well as he evidently has at Anfield.