Micah Richards explains reason for Virgil van Dijk struggles at Liverpool.

Micah Richards discusses the reasons behind Virgil van Dijk’s difficulties at Liverpool.

Liverpool has faced a challenging few weeks, with their poor performance continuing over the weekend following a loss to Brentford. They have now suffered four consecutive defeats in the Premier League, causing Arne Slot’s team to drop to 7th place in the league table.

While much attention has been given to the struggles of new signings Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, several players who performed at a high level last season have not been able to maintain that standard – including captain Virgil van Dijk.

Alan Shearer and Micah Richards comment on Virgil van Dijk’s challenges.

During a discussion on The Rest Is Football (as reported by TBR Football), Alan Shearer criticized van Dijk and his center-back partner Ibrahima Konate for their performances against Brentford.

“They are performing poorly across the board. You can talk about their midfield issues – the lack of protection – or the front line’s disconnection with the new signings. But defensively, it’s a disaster.

“I mean, Van Dijk and Konate. The fullbacks have received a lot of criticism, which is justified. But the two center-backs? They are disorganized. They’ve been dreadful. At Brentford, they were both terrible, I mean, Van Dijk and Konate, weren’t they?”

Micah Richards concurred with Shearer, but he believes that van Dijk’s issues stem from a lack of support from Konate.

“Yes, they were dreadful. What we’re witnessing now is that Van Dijk requires assistance. How many times in past seasons has Van Dijk saved them? We’ve always discussed Van Dijk’s quality.

He needs Konate to support him right now, and that’s not occurring. You can’t have two center-backs underperforming simultaneously.”

Liverpool needs to break this losing streak quickly if they hope to have a chance at retaining their Premier League title, which is currently slipping away.