Liverpool are still looking to find their rhythm and get their season properly back on track after a rough couple of months - and they have a trip to Manchester City up next
Virgil van Dijk
The Virgil van Dijk-Wayne Rooney row has taken a fresh turn
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It's been a challenging period for Liverpool recently. Their hold on the Premier League title has weakened rapidly - particularly with Arsenal stacking up victories and clean sheets at a relentless pace.
Getting dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Crystal Palace only deepened the frustration. Pinpointing exactly why things have gone off course for Liverpool is no simple task. But with summer arrivals failing to impress, established veterans suddenly looking shaky and the squad's once-firm confidence crumbling, plenty of observers are offering explanations.
Last weekend brought some domestic comfort for Liverpool, as they earned a crucial win against Aston Villa - their first league triumph since mid-September. The victory pushed them back up to third in the standings and success against title challengers Manchester City on Sunday could completely change the atmosphere on the red side of Merseyside. With that in mind, here are the latest updates from around Anfield.
Van Dijk row develops
After labelling Wayne Rooney's recent criticism of Liverpool "lazy," Virgil van Dijk has gained an unexpected ally in Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand.
Rooney recently suggested that the Reds' struggles were due to a leadership void, seemingly placing much of the responsibility on captain Van Dijk's shoulders. In reply, the Dutch defender openly dismissed Rooney's comments - a reaction Ferdinand said he admired.
"I absolutely love that Virgil van Dijk, the captain of Liverpool, is coming out and saying, 'I ain't having what people are saying, I don't agree with that and I don't agree with that.' I think it's brilliant," he said on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.
Virgil van Dijk looks on
Virgil van Dijk hit out at Wayne Rooney(Image: Jan Kruger, Getty Images)
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"This is what you want. This is what you need. You need players of character, a bit of personality. Whether you agree with him or not, it's a different conversation, but I like the fact that he's prickly and he reads it and he sees it, he hears it and he goes, 'No, I'm not having that and I want to call it out.'"
Van Dijk had earlier branded Rooney's assessment as "ridiculous." Following the Villa win, he added: "I didn't hear him last year. It doesn't hurt me. Just to come back to this particular player, obviously a legend, a big player of the game who inspired so many, I can say only positive things, but I feel that comment is just a bit of a lazy criticism.
"It's easy to blame the older players but he knows as well as everyone else that we do it together and try to help each other to get out of this. There are so many platforms nowadays that everyone can say whatever they like and it gets blown up.
Former Manchester United players Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney give a pre match interview ahead of the Premier League match between Manchester United and Everton FC at Old Trafford on March 09, 2024
Rio Ferdinand backed Virgil van Dijk in his spat with Wayne Rooney
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"What I have noticed, over the last couple of weeks especially, is that there is a lot of noise... Some of those takes are absolutely ridiculous."
Wirtz transfer revelation
Florian Wirtz may have ended up at Real Madrid instead of Liverpool last summer if the Spanish club had made a move, according to Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro.
Wirtz completed a £116million transfer from Leverkusen to Liverpool in July, becoming, at that time, the most expensive signing in Premier League history. Earlier in the year, Manchester City had looked like Liverpool's main rival for the midfielder's signature, but Pep Guardiola's team reportedly deemed the price too high and chose not to compete.
Florian Wirtz with Xabi Alonso during their time together at Bayer Leverkusen
Florian Wirtz worked under Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen
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It remains uncertain whether Real Madrid - managed by Wirtz's former Leverkusen coach, Xabi Alonso - were ever truly interested, but Carro believes their involvement could have completely changed the outcome.
"He would definitely have gone to Madrid if Xabi had made the offer. But Xabi has less say at Madrid than he does with us," he said. "[Wirtz] is someone who wants to win the Champions League. He saw that we had won the Bundesliga title, but winning the Champions League with Bayer Leverkusen might be more difficult."
Hamann recommends transfer
Ex-Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has encouraged his old club to pursue Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck, calling the German international an "outstanding" player who could solve Liverpool's current defensive problems.
The Reds' resources have been stretched thin after Giovanni Leoni's season-ending injury, leaving Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez as the only fit senior centre-backs. Hamann believes Schlotterbeck could start alongside Van Dijk before ultimately taking over as Liverpool's defensive leader - although Bayern Munich are also said to be monitoring the 25-year-old.
Nico Schlotterbeck during a Borussia Dortmund game
Nico Schlotterbeck has been linked with a number of top sides - including Liverpool
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"Bayern Munich are stepping up their interest in Nico Schlotterbeck," Hamann told ESportsBets.com. "He's been out with an injury for four or five months and only been back for four or five weeks. He's a natural leader.
"Liverpool are interested, but you don't know how long Virgil van Dijk is going to be there. The perfect situation would be to bring somebody in who maybe plays with Van Dijk for one or two years and then takes over Van Dijk's role. I think he'd be a great signing for Liverpool and a lot of other teams as well."
Schlotterbeck has held off signing a new contract with Dortmund, choosing to wait until the spring to judge whether the team can compete for major trophies. The defender, recently back from a long injury absence, has already played 132 matches for Dortmund and earned 22 caps for Germany.
Liverpool's failure to secure Marc Guehi in the summer has only increased the urgency for defensive reinforcements in January - and if Hamann's recommendation is followed, Schlotterbeck could be the next major target on their list.
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