Liverpool’s Premier League crisis continued at the weekend with a narrow defeat to Brentford and Wayne Rooney has now delivered his verdict on their poor form.
Wayne Rooney has accused Liverpool’s duo of Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah of failing to lead the club during the current crisis. The current Premier League champions have struggled this season, losing five of their last six competitive games.
Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat at Brentford at the weekend leaves them seventh in the Premier League, already seven points behind leaders Arsenal. Manchester United icon Rooney is trying to find the reasons behind the Reds’ downturn, with the former striker blaming Van Dijk and Salah for failing to step up to bat.
Speaking on the BBC’s Wayne Rooney podcast, he said: “This can happen to a team, that can happen to a team, and it creeps up on you and 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 expected this to happen. And it hits them right away, it hits them hard, and they’re struggling to find a way out of it.
“Right now is a time when managers and team leaders need to make decisions quickly. I’m a little unsure. Van Dijk and Salah have signed new contracts, but I don’t think they’ve really led the team this season.”
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Asked why he thought that, Rooney added: “It’s just the performance and the body language. I think the body language says a lot. I think we’re seeing the body language of the two guys a little different. They’re the top two players in that team and if their body language isn’t right, it’s going to affect everyone else.”
“Liverpool are in a bad situation at the moment. I can’t explain when it happens. It’s a very difficult situation and I don’t know how to get out of it.”
“When you concede a goal, you immediately think, ‘Here we go again.’ It’s very difficult to get out of that.
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“The best thing is to simplify things for each player and the manager, simplify the performance in what you do.
“Usually if you have better players you can win the match, but it’s not that easy.”
Liverpool will aim to get back on track next week. Arne Slott’s side face Crystal Palace in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, before welcoming Unai Emery’s Aston Villa to Merseyside at the weekend.
Watch The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC Sport YouTube and iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds. Episodes drop every Friday and Monday morning.
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