Arne Slot hits back at Wayne Rooney
Arne Slot hits back at Wayne Rooney
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has hit back at Wayne Rooney following his claims regarding the Dutchman's aura. Rooney recently commented that Slot does not have the aura to be the manager of the iconic Merseyside club.
Slot enjoyed a phenomenal debut season at Anfield last time out leading the Reds to the Premier League title. However, things have not gone his way this season as his side find themselves sixth in the table after 26 games.
Wayne Rooney has claimed that Arne Slot lacks the aura of his predecessor Jurgen Klopp. The Manchester United icon also admitted that filling in the shoes of someone like Klopp would have been a difficult task for anyone. Rooney said, as quoted by The Daily Mail:
"I just don't think, for Liverpool, he has that aura. Maybe that's because Liverpool have just come off the back of Jurgen as manager. It's difficult for anyone to do that, but I just don't think there is that aura about him."
Arne Slot was asked to make his comments regarding Rooney's statement and the Dutchman insisted that it is unfair to compare two persons. He also claimed that a winning manager always has an aura. The Liverpool manager said, as quoted by The Daily Mail:
"Comparing people with each other is something everyone has the right to do, but is that fair to compare people with each other? We are all different. The only thing we have in common, Jurgen and me, is that we both won the league - and that's not too bad, is it?"
Slot added:
"I think the more a manager wins, the more aura he has - that's in general. I don't know if you agree with Wayne Rooney by the way, but if this would be the general opinion, then I think people would probably tell you last season I had more aura than this season."
He concluded:
"But maybe he's the only one who has this opinion, I don't know, you tell me. It's the first time that I heard this, but I think it's fair to say that Jurgen definitely has an aura. I can talk about him, not about myself, but he definitely had that [aura]. But, a winning manager has an aura as well.'
Liverpool will take on struggling side Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday, February 22. The Reds are three points behind their arch rivals Manchester United who occupy the fourth spot at the moment.
Micah Richards claims Liverpool rely too much on one player
Pundit Micah Richards has claimed that Liverpool rely too much on Virgil van Dijk being perfect all the time. The former Manchester City right-back has insisted that van Dijk's inconsistency this season has hurt the Reds. Richards said on The Rest is Football podcast:
“When Van Dijk plays well, the team plays really well. When he plays well at the back, the whole of Liverpool play. If he has an off game, because everyone relies on him so much, it ruins the whole team. It really does because they’re so used to him being perfect in every single game. If you look at him in the last couple of games, he’s been brilliant."
Liverpool secured two crucial wins in the Premier League back-to-back against Sunderland and Brighton. Van Dijk has been brilliant in the aforementioned games and also scored the all-important winner against Sunderland.
Van Dijk has been a key player for the Reds since his £75 million switch from Southampton in January 2018. He has made 356 appearances for the Merseyside giants till date, helping the club win nine trophies and has also captained them since 2023.