Wayne Rooney names Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk as a 'big concern' for Liverpool
Liverpool have lurched from one problem to the next this season, but should Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah be doing more?
Not one pundit, ex-player or even the bravest of rival fan predicted the current funk that Liverpool find themselves in.
Seemingly unable to buy a win in the Premier League, Arne Slot is under pressure and beginning to wonder what else he can try to turn things around. Previously trustworthy players have looked like a shadow of their former selves and almost every new signing apart from Hugo Ekitike failing to adapt to life at Anfield and the pressure of being champions. Slot isn’t the only one scratching his head.
Wayne Rooney takes aim at Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah
Speaking on his BBC Sport podcast, Wayne Rooney is at a loss as to why Liverpool’s form has deserted him, but the former Everton and Man United striker has noticed something that should concern Slot: "No-one has seen this coming, it's hit them quick, it's hit them hard and I think they're struggling to find a way out of it. This is a time where the manager and the leaders in the team need to figure it out very quickly.
"Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, they've signed new deals but I don't think they've really led that team this season. I think body language tells you a lot, and I think we're seeing slightly different body language from the two of them. They are the top two players in that team and if their body language is not right, that affects everyone else. I might be wrong on this, but if I was a Liverpool fan or the manager, that would be a big concern for me."
Do Van Dijk and Salah need to do more?
Rooney is right, to an extent. Van Dijk and Salah have been the backbone of this Liverpool team for so long that it is almost impossible to imagine what it would look like without them. On so many occasions in the past, the Reds skipper has bailed his teammates out in defence whilst at the other end of the park, nothing more needs to be said about Salah’s goalscoring exploits. Neither player is at the peak of their powers, but the current situation shouldn’t fall purely at their feet.
They can’t do it all on their own which is why Slot needs to recall players like Andy Robertson. Dominik Szoboszlai is Hungary’s captain and he is one of a few who can’t have their work rate or determination to turn things around questioned with Federico Chiesa also a former captain during his time at Fiorentina. Rooney is right, Liverpool need leaders on the pitch, but they also need Slot to pick those with the mentality to drag them back into some sort of form. It doesn’t have to be the best team on paper, it just has to be the team that is capable of winning and reminding opponents that they are still the Premier League champions.