Rooney Criticizes Van Dijk Salah Leadership Amid Liverpool Premier League Slump

Liverpool, the defending Premier League champions, are experiencing a severe crisis marked by five losses in their last six games, including a 3-2 defeat to Brentford. Former England striker Wayne Rooney has criticized key Liverpool players Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah for their lack of leadership and poor body language, which he believes is impacting the entire team negatively. Despite Salah scoring several goals, including a late one against Brentford, the team remains seventh in the league, seven points behind leaders Arsenal. Rooney emphasized that the current situation has hit the team unexpectedly hard and stressed the urgent need for leadership from Van Dijk and Salah to help Liverpool recover. Additionally, Rooney contrasted Liverpool's struggles with Arsenal's promising form under Mikel Arteta, suggesting the Gunners are well-positioned to win the title and that failure to do so might put Arteta's job at risk. The ongoing crisis raises concerns about Liverpool's ability to regain their former dominance without a clear resolution to their leadership issues.