Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has said Wayne Rooney blaming a lack of leadership for the Anfield side's recent poor form is "lazy criticism". The Reds won the Premier League title last season in manager Arne Slot's first campaign in charge but, after starting the 2025-26 campaign with five top-flight wins, they have fallen off the pace. They suffered a fourth consecutive league defeat at Brentford last week and, following the loss to the Bees, former England and Manchester United forward