Virgil van Dijk met Wayne Rooney’s critique with measured defiance, calling the former England striker’s claim that Liverpool lack leadership “lazy criticism.”
The Reds’ captain insisted the blame game is an easy headline, but it doesn’t reflect what’s happening inside Liverpool’s dressing room.
Context and Reaction
After Arne Slot steered Liverpool to last season’s title in his debut campaign, the club’s bright start to 2025-26 — five straight league wins — has faltered.
A run of recent defeats peaked with last week’s fourth straight loss at Brentford, prompting Rooney to suggest leaders like Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah had not “really led that team this season.”
Van Dijk responded calmly after Liverpool halted the slide with a win over Aston Villa, saying he respected Rooney’s status in the game but disagreed with the line of attack.
“I can say only positive things but I feel that comment is… a bit of a lazy criticism,” he told reporters, making clear there are no hard feelings but that the narrative is misleading.
Inside the Camp
The Netherlands defender painted a different picture of the squad’s response to poor results: collective responsibility, daily work, and belief.
Van Dijk stressed leadership at Liverpool is shared and not reducible to one or two individuals. When things run smoothly, pundits are silent, he noted — but when the results dip, commentators look for a simple scapegoat.
“We all felt that we can work our way out of this,” he said, urging calm and humility rather than panic. He dismissed talk of hasty decisions from the club hierarchy, adding confidence that Liverpool won’t react impulsively under pressure
The Road Ahead
Liverpool sit third in the Premier League, seven points behind leaders Arsenal, and face a defining week with two high-stakes fixtures. Slot’s side host Real Madrid in the Champions League before travelling to Manchester City in the league. Van Dijk framed those matches as tests but also opportunities to show the team’s resilience and unity.
Leadership, Not Individual Blame
Van Dijk’s message was blunt: leadership at Liverpool is a collective effort, and quick critiques from pundits do little to help.
He stressed the importance of staying grounded, working hard, and trusting the process — a reminder that, for this Liverpool side, leadership is lived on the training pitch as much as it’s spoken about on TV
