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Wayne Rooney has taken aim at Liverpool star Mohamed Salah again, claiming that Arne Slot should take the Egyptian out of the team because of his recent form.
Salah has not been scoring as regularly as usual so far this season but Rooney's criticism has mainly been with his work ethic, suggesting he needs to run back more to help out defensively. Last season, Salah was scoring so freely that nothing else mattered; in a period where Liverpool's form has seen a downturn, he has come under the spotlight.
"If I was Slot, I'd try and make a big decision just so it has an impact on the rest of the team," Rooney said on his BBC podcast. "Salah is not helping them defensively.
"If you're one of the players who they've signed and you're on the bench and you've seen him not running — and again he's a club legend and everything he's done for the club — but if you're on the bench, then what message does that send to you?"
So far, the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz have not come to life for Liverpool. But they are each adjusting to their new roles and getting up to speed physically.
"Liverpool are going through a hard time, aren't they?" Rooney said. "You've probably got to look at the effect of what sadly happened to Diogo Jota.
"What effect does that have on the players because that's his teammates? That surely has to have an effect. But then there's no excuse for not fighting and not tackling."
Virgil van Dijk insisted over the weekend that it was the players who needed to do more, though there have been suggestions in some quarters that Arne Slot's position might be under scrutiny.
"I think Slot's got a big job to get them back playing and winning," Rooney added.
"The big thing is when he has a run of results like this, Klopp's name keeps getting brought up.
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"It's a bit like the presence with Sir Alex Ferguson. For instance, when David Moyes came in [at Manchester United] and [Louis] Van Gaal, Fergie's name would always get brought up.
"With Slot, Klopp keeps getting brought up. 'He's not Jurgen Klopp, he's not as good as Jurgen Klopp'. But I think the Liverpool fans just need to move away from that and get behind him."
Liverpool.com says: Things need to change quickly but Salah not tracking back is a tactic, not a lazy decision. It worked well last season but hasn't this time around. Questioning the desire of such a clearly dedicated athlete is simply aiming the criticism in the wrong direction.
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