Wayne Rooney criticises Liverpool duo for ‘affecting’ the team during nightmare run

Liverpool’s nightmare run in the Premier League has continued following their loss to Brentford on Saturday.

The Reds cannot catch a break when it comes to the top-flight, as they lost their fourth consecutive game in the competition this season, 3-2 to the Bees away from home, with another poor performance.

Fans are seemingly getting used to these displays, where Liverpool seem incapable of being a cohesive unit and especially in the defence, where the mistakes and issues have been too numerous to list.

Unusually, Virgil van Dijk in these most recent games has been worse than he ever has been for this side, as Ibrahima Konate is now covering for the mistakes of the captain.

The Dutchman is not the only senior player who has had poor displays, but Mohamed Salah is also a culprit of a shocking run of form after both men signed deals just last year to extend their stay at Anfield.

Wayne Rooney says Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah are not leading Liverpool

Salah had been able to score in the last game, but before that, he had not netted one of his strikes since the Atletico Madrid victory in the Champions League in September.

Both men have now been singled out by Wayne Rooney for their lack of leadership in the team, despite them being the most senior players at the club during this terrible run of form.

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The former Manchester United striker explained that the ‘body language’ of both men is rubbing off on their teammates because they are expected to be the shining examples of the football club.

Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, he explained: “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.”

Virgil van Dijk needs to find his form quickly

Rooney is right in the sense that the players are not leading by example, especially van Dijk, who has been struggling and making mistakes that he would never usually make.

This is now a much bigger issue than before; it had more to do with the full-backs and Konate, but being the captain of the side and playing below your standards will not help the team progress.

His issues with form need to be addressed quickly, and a tactical tweak from Slot may be needed because he looks to be uncomfortable with where he is playing.

Losing four games in the league so early has meant hopes of retaining the title have taken a nosedive. From here, the focus should be on delivering a result of any kind on a consistent basis instead of looking at the position in the league table.

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