Premier League legend Alan Shearer has launched a stinging rebuke of Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, telling the defender that pundits have every right to criticise his team's alarming slump in form.
The war of words escalates
The controversy began when former England captain Wayne Rooney first criticised Van Dijk last month following Liverpool's 3-2 defeat to Brentford. Rooney controversially claimed the Dutch defender had "downed tools" after signing a new contract.
Van Dijk hit back at what he labelled "lazy" comments, leading to an awkward face-to-face exchange between the pair on Amazon Prime after Liverpool's 1-0 Champions League victory over Real Madrid at Anfield. Although Rooney later admitted he "went a bit too strong" with his initial criticism, the stage was set for further commentary.
Shearer's brutal assessment
Now, Alan Shearer, the Premier League's all-time record goalscorer, has entered the fray with a blunt assessment of the situation. Speaking to Betfair, Shearer argued that Van Dijk's on-pitch performances have undermined his right to complain about punditry.
"I think it's very difficult as a player to come out and have a pop back when you've lost five games this season and in the manner you've lost them," Shearer stated. "Your best talking is on the pitch and getting results. They were really, really poor, so I think the pundits are well within their reason to have a pop."
Liverpool's fading title hopes
The statistics behind Liverpool's decline are stark. The team has suffered four consecutive away defeats for the first time in 13 years and has conceded 17 goals in their 11 Premier League matches. Their recent 3-0 loss to Manchester City at the Etihad has left them eight points behind leaders Arsenal.
Shearer believes these results have effectively ended Liverpool's title defence. "I do think the league's gone for them now they've lost five games," he said. "I don't see them being in a title race now. I think they would have to probably win every single game between now and the end of the season. I don't think that's possible."
The Newcastle icon delivered an even grimmer warning about Liverpool's prospects in other competitions: "If Liverpool continue to play like they did against Manchester City, then they won't win anything. They'll get dumped out of whatever competitions they're in."
With the Premier League title seemingly out of reach, Shearer suggested Liverpool's only hope for silverware lies in the FA Cup or Champions League, though he emphasised that significant improvement is needed to challenge for either trophy.
