Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk causes disagreement as Rio Ferdinand hits back

Liverpool have lost five of their last six matches in all competitions, with Reds skipper Virgil van Dijk coming under fire amid their alarming slump

Rio Ferdinand maintains that Virgil van Dijk shouldn’t shoulder all the responsibility for Liverpool’s dismal recent form following Wayne Rooney’s scathing criticism of the Reds captain’s leadership qualities. Arne Slot is currently experiencing his toughest spell at Anfield after suffering another loss at the weekend.

Liverpool have not been defeated in five of their previous six outings across all competitions – including four consecutive Premier League losses, leaving them well off the pace.

Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Brentford has left the reigning champions wallowing in seventh place in the table this season. They now trail league-topping Arsenal by seven points, prompting Rooney to analyse what’s gone awry for the Merseyside outfit so far.

The former Everton and Manchester United legend has been critical of Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah recently and doubled down on Monday. Speaking on the latest instalment of The Wayne Rooney Show, he said: “This can happen to teams.

READ MORE: Trent Alexander-Arnold handed new Liverpool boost at Real Madrid teammate’s expenseREAD MORE: Liverpool issued new referee penalty verdict with ‘clear evidence’ claim vs Brentford

“And it can get them, and it will creep up, and then all of a sudden you’re like, ‘Where did that come from?’ You’re probably sitting here thinking, three or four weeks ago, no one saw this coming.

“And it’s hit them quick, it’s hit them hard, and they’re struggling to find a way out of it. This is the time when the manager, the leaders in the team need to figure it out very quickly.

“I’m a bit unsure. Van Dijk and [Mohamed] Salah have signed new deals and whatever. But I don’t think they’ve really led that team this season.”

When questioned further about his rationale, Rooney added: “Just performances and body language. I think body language tells you a lot.

“I think we’re seeing a slightly different body language from the two of them. They are the top two players on that side, and if their body language isn’t right, that affects everyone else.”

However, Ferdinand, a former United player, has a different perspective. He argued that the entire team is at fault—not just Van Dijk and Salah. Speaking on his show, Rio Ferdinand Presents, the England legend said: “I don’t think it’s a one-man thing.

“When you’re the captain, all eyes are on you, so your name probably gets shouted at first. It’ll be him or Salah, the two biggest players in the squad.

“Just signed new deals, so there’s loads of issues and people are going and pointing the finger. But this is a squad thing – they didn’t win the league last season because of Salah and Virgil van Dijk only, they won it because they were the best team.

“Are any of them playing to the level they were playing to last season? [Alexis] Mac Allister was being called one of the best midfielders in the world, [Ryan] Gravenberch was being called one of the best midfielders in the world last year.

“Are they at that level this season? No. So it ain’t just Van Dijk and it ain’t just Salah. All of them.”

Liverpool are bracing themselves for a challenging EFL Cup encounter with Crystal Palace on Wednesday evening, before they switch back to Premier League action against Aston Villa on Saturday.

With heavyweight clashes against Real Madrid and Manchester City looming in November, it could be another gruelling month for Slot unless he manages to rectify the club’s poor form.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.