Football news - Kalidou Koulibaly showed why he can be Manchester United's Virgil van Dijk
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 11/12/2018 at 23:23 GMT
For 34 minutes, Kalidou Koulibaly had kept Mohamed Salah in his pocket, but one shuffle of those twinkling feet was enough to change the narrative.
Kalidou Koulibaly demonstrated why he is so highly regarded
Image credit: Getty Images
When Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho arrived in Valencia on Tuesday night, he will have been eager to get back to his hotel room once his media commitments were fulfilled and training was done and dusted.
The Portuguese is in Spain but with his side safely through to the knockout stages and with many youngsters joining the first-team squad, his mind will have moved to matters elsewhere for 90 minutes, at least.
Mourinho has made no secret of his desire to pursue a central defender since last summer, and having missed out on Leicester's Harry Maguire, it has been widely reported that Napoli defender Koulibaly is his primary target.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2018/12/11/2480718-51513070-2560-1440.jpg)
Koulibaly is the experienced defender United are screaming out for
Image credit: Getty Images
United have been quoted £90m for the 27-year-old during a recent meeting between senior officials of both clubs to discuss a mid-season transfer.
Koulibaly started in the centre of defence during Napoli's Champions League clash with Liverpool, and Mourinho will no doubt have been a watchful observer, in the knowledge that if the Senegal international could handle Liverpool's fluid front three, he would be more than a match for most of the Premier League.
So how did he perform in the white-hot, famous Anfield atmosphere? Ben Grounds assessed his display and gives his verdict...
MINUTE-BY-MINUTE KEY INVOLVEMENT
1: Koulibaly wins his first duel with Salah intercepting a pass forward to the Egyptian.
3: The defender gets drawn out to Salah during a Liverpool counter-attack that breaks down.
4: Koulibaly intercepts a Milner pass forward seeking Mane.
7: The defender is fortunate as he is dragged out of position by a Liverpool break down the left, Robertson's ball for Salah is perfect with Koulibaly AWOL, but the forward is unable to capitalise due to a poor control.
12: The athletic defender shows excellent acceleration to eat up the ground on Salah and win his side a goal-kick by kicking the ball off the forward.
13: Another Liverpool move breaks down as Wijnaldum is stopped in his tracks by another firm challenge from Koulibaly, who has now settled following a shaky start.
21: Mane has a goal correctly ruled out for offside, but it is again noticeable how Koulibaly is not in the centre having been drawn out to Salah, who was lurking on the edge of the box.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2018/12/11/2480734-51513390-2560-1440.jpg)
Koulibaly signals for offside as Van Dijk blazes over
Image credit: Getty Images
22: The defender is wayward with his long distribution seeking the marauding left back Mario Rui.
24: Salah is again eased off the ball as Wijnaldum's pass seeking the Egyptian is slightly over-hit and the big defender shepherds the ball out of play.
27: Heart in mouth moment as Salah wriggles free for the first time, but it is a fair challenge by Koulibaly as the forward goes to ground inside the box.
30: Koulibaly shows his confidence as he goes to ground and appears to set himself to clear into touch, but he skilfully controls the ball under his spell tight on the touchline and picks out a pass with Salah for company.
32: More aggressive play from Koulibaly helps him win the throw-in off Salah as the Anfield crowd start to groan in the knowledge that PSG lead in Belgrade.
34: GOAL! Koulibaly allows Salah to escape him fully for the first time as he slips down his left-side to take Milner's pass, shuffle past the defender and slide his shot inside Ospina's near post. It was a shimmy that was not in keeping with the opening 30 minutes, but a player of Salah's quality only needed one chance to score.
40: YELLOW CARD! Koulibaly is late on Salah as he tries to win the ball but leaves his foot on his man. After a moment's consideration, the defender joins Virgil van Dijk in the book to compound a miserable few minutes for the defender.
42: Koulibaly doesn't appear to affected by the booking as he tries and succeeds to win a goal-kick off Firmino as the Brazilian tries to unsettle him on the byline.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2018/12/11/2480723-51513170-2560-1440.jpg)
Koulibaly makes one of a number of key interceptions on Tuesday
Image credit: Getty Images
45+3: Koulibaly rises to head clear Milner's cross in Liverpool's final attack of the half.
52: Koulibaly wins a header to clear a Robertson cross in Liverpool's first attack of the second period.
54: The defender gives Salah a yard head start but shows his lightening pace to again eat up the ground to cover and clear his lines.
56: Salah cuts across the pitch from right to left and takes aim, but Koulibaly is there to block the shot and bring the ball out from the back for his side.
58: "He's a one-man wall back there at times, Koulibaly," says BT Sport commentator Darren Fletcher after he makes three key interceptions in quick succession.
74: After a period of Napoli pressure, Liverpool seek to counter but Koulibaly snuffs out Firmino's pass for Salah.
77: Napoli continue to stream forward and it leaves the defender exposed as Robertson's cross finds Mane with Koulibaly having lost his man, but Ospina spares his blushes.
80: Koulibaly calmly gets in front of Salah to meet another inviting Robertson cross to avert the danger.
85: With the game becoming increasingly frantic, Koulibaly loses a 50-50 with Mane and the ball is worked back to Wijnaldum but he drags his shot wide.
90: Ancelotti signals the defender to go up front as a makeshift striker. He wins the first aerial missile but Milik can't reach the flick-on.
90+4: Koulibaly is in an offside position as he challenges Alisson in the air. Callejon lashes the ball into the net, but the goal is ruled out with Koulibaly in an offside position before he collides with Liverpool's goalkeeper.
VERDICT
Rio Ferdinand said during his half-time analysis on BT Sport when asked about Salah's decisive strike: "He stood up Koulibaly and this was his first real test of the night. He came with a big reputation heading into this game, but he got disposed of here. He shakes him off. Goodnight."
While it proved the game's pivotal moment, it was another somewhat dismissive assessment from the former United defender of a player who on this evidence could emulate his success at Old Trafford.
Ferdinand had of course described Manchester City and England's full-back Kyle Walker as capable of being a 'liability' at times in an off-air discussion during the weekend defeat at Chelsea that was leaked on social media.
| Virgil van Dijk | Head-to-head | Kalidou Koulibaly |
| 0 | Tackles | 3 |
| 0 | Interceptions | 2 |
| 7 | Clearances | 7 |
| 0 | Blocks | 3 |
| 34 | Successful passes | 34 |
| 85 | Passing accuracy | 79.07 |
| 1 | Fouls conceded | 1 |
But only Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis would welcome his latest clumsy dismissal of one of Europe's most coveted defenders, and he showed just why he is so highly regarded in almost every other duel he encountered on Merseyside.
“I erected a wall to keep him here with me,” De Laurentiis said recently of the defender, who is contracted to Napoli until 2023.
Steve McManaman said the defender's foul on Salah in the first-half was "far more like a yellow card" than the one brandished to Virgil van Dijk for his crude challenge on Dries Mertens which left the Belgian in a crumpled heap.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2018/12/11/2480719-51513090-2560-1440.jpg)
The Senegalese is shown a yellow card that felt harsh
Image credit: Getty Images
Van Dijk won the ball but he followed through on Mertens, and the player never recovered before his withdrawal midway through the second period. It was a case of 'job done' for the Dutchman, who is the darling of the British media.
But Koulibaly showed in his commanding performance just why he can be United's imperious presence, in the same way Van Dijk has been since that huge outlay of £75million last January.
"Liverpool put all their eggs in one basket," said Gary Neville this week on Monday Night Football when reflecting on the seismic shift in defensive performances since the arrival of the former Southampton defender.
Mourinho said recently of his purchase of Fred for £52m from Shakhtar Donetsk: "You have other players in other clubs that needed time (to adjust) and you have some of them that play even less than Fred is playing.
"I think when the team is defensively stronger, the horizons for Fred change completely." Koulibaly is said to be encouraged by Mourinho's interest, and if this was an audition against United's fierce rivals, he passed it with flying colours. Should he make the move, Fred would be the first to raise a smile.
If United land the defender next month, it would be their Van Dijk moment. Whether executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward affords Mourinho the necessary funds is another matter.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article