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Rio Ferdinand argues that Virgil van Dijk shouldn't bear sole blame for Liverpool's woeful recent form after Wayne Rooney delivered a harsh assessment of the Reds skipper's leadership abilities.
Arne Slot is currently enduring his most challenging period at Anfield following another weekend defeat. The Merseysiders have tasted defeat in five of their last six matches across all competitions - including four straight Premier League reverses, leaving them trailing significantly behind the frontrunners.
Saturday's 3-2 reverse against Brentford has left the defending champions languishing in seventh position this campaign. Liverpool now sits seven points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal, prompting Rooney to examine what has gone wrong for the Merseyside club thus far.
The former Everton and Manchester United icon has recently targeted Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah with criticism and reinforced his stance on Monday.
Speaking on the latest edition of The Wayne Rooney Show, he commented: "This can happen to teams. 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 pressed further about his reasoning, Rooney elaborated: "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, an ex-United player, sees things differently. He contended that the entire team is to blame—not just Van Dijk and Salah.
Speaking on his show, Rio Ferdinand Presents, the England legend stated: "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.
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"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 preparing for a tough EFL Cup clash with Crystal Palace on Wednesday evening, before they return to Premier League duties against Aston Villa on Saturday.
With high-profile fixtures against Real Madrid and Manchester City on the horizon in November, it could be another demanding month for Slot unless he can turn around the club's recent slump.
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