1 hour ago
42
Glen Johnson has accused Virgil van Dijk of getting away with murder after Liverpool's poor start to the season.
The Reds find themselves 10th in the Premier League table, having picked up just two wins from their last 10 games in the division, and 13th in the Champions League standings. They are also out of the Carabao Cup and lost the Community Shield to Crystal Palace.
Van Dijk is Liverpool's captain and has faced the press several times this season. Yet Johnson, who won the 2012 Carabao Cup with Liverpool and played 200 games for the club, believes the current skipper deserves more criticism, with other players in the firing line.
Mohamed Salah has been questioned this season, claiming he's been thrown "under the bus" by Liverpool, and so has Ibrahima Konate after several high-profile mistakes in defense. But Johnson thinks Van Dijk has been at fault just as many times as Konate.
"Virgil van Dijk has been at fault just as much as Ibrahima Konate recently, if not more," Johnson told BetWright online casino UK.
"Because his name is Van Dijk, he gets away with murder. I still think he’s a world-class player and has been for a long time.
"But at the minute, he’s been nowhere near his best level, and neither have the players around him.
"I think Konate has been thrown under the bus a little bit, which is understandable because he’s made a few mistakes recently, but so has everybody. The entire Liverpool back line keeps making errors. and Van Dijk is no exception."
Johnson believes Liverpool should sign a new central defender in January to give Arne Slot more options at the back. The Reds started the season with four first-choice center-backs in Van Dijk, Konate, Joe Gomez, and new signing Giovanni Leoni.
Van Dijk and Konate have both struggled for form, while there have always been question marks over Gomez's fitness. Italian teenager Leoni was ruled out for the season in September when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on debut.
The Reds tried to bolster their defense on transfer deadline day in the summer by signing Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, but the transfer collapsed at the last minute. Guehi, who is out of contract at the end of the season, remains a Palace player.
"Liverpool need a new center-back in January," added Johnson. "The first player that comes to mind is Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace.
"Whether he can join a club like Liverpool and kick on is a question, but I think he needs to be given that chance to prove himself at the top level like he’s done for England.
"I think he would be a great signing for Liverpool. They definitely need to get in some players in January."
English (US) ·