Nigel Reo-Coker has slammed Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk for not being the “same leader” that he has been at Anfield for the last few years.
The Reds’ defence has been far too leaky this season and, although the towering Dutchman has tried his best to rally his troops, nothing seems to be going their way.
Indeed, Liverpool put in an impressive performance against Eintracht Frankfurt last Wednesday, but in their clash against Brentford, they went back to square one and were beaten 3-2.
Many questions have been asked about Liverpool’s first-team squad, with some now wondering if the Reds even have what it takes to compete for the Premier League title against Arsenal this term.
Nigel Reo-Coker slams Virgil van Dijk for his lack of leadership with Liverpool this season
Several members of Arne Slot’s team could be singled out as Liverpool’s main problem this season.
There have been many moments when criticism has needed to be answered, and while the Reds managed to do that against Frankfurt, it felt like they’d forgotten everything they’d done against the Bundesliga outfit when they faced Brentford on Saturday.
Of course, there were some moments of class, but while speaking to the BBC’s Football Daily Podcast, former West Ham United captain Reo-Coker slammed the leadership of Van Dijk.
“Milos Kerkez is not the same as what we saw at Bournemouth,” he said.
“Trent Alexander-Arnold got criticised for his defensive abilities, so I think Kerkez deserves the same because he is not defending.
“I don’t see a team. Virgil van Dijk is not the same leader, and that is probably because he has no confidence in the back four. He looks very annoyed with Kerkez.
“The only two players who cannot get any criticism are Dominik Szoboszlai, because he has been fantastic and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
“Slot hasn’t helped with putting comments out there about what Liverpool are vulnerable with and some of the decisions he is making with players.
“They need some team bonding. They need to get to know one another on a better level because they don’t look like a team.”
Liverpool must buck their ideas up before it’s too late
Going into the 2025-26 season, nobody thought that anyone would challenge Liverpool for the Premier League title.
Their summer transfer window was seen as one of the best-ever, with most fans, pundits, and journalists left in awe of the work that Slot and Richard Hughes did.
Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz were two of the biggest-named players to be brought in, with many believing that they would form an unstoppable trio with Mohamed Salah.
However, since Isak is only just reaching full fitness and Wirtz hasn’t yet adjusted to the physicality of the Premier League, that’s been far from the case.
Salah hasn’t been at the races for Liverpool either, and if they don’t get on top of it soon, it’s hard to see how they’ll be in the title race at Christmas.
That is, unless they put their full focus into turning things around and start getting the results that they know they’re capable of.
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