While no single person can be pointed at for the poor form Liverpool have found themselves in this season, some have been singled out due to their drop in performances.
Among those is Virgil Van Dijk, often seen by many as the best centre-back in the world, with the Dutchman struggling to reach his usual heights during the current campaign.
This has led to Ronald Koeman, now in charge of the Netherlands national team, to warn the Liverpool star in a chat with Studio Voetbal and relayed by Voetbal Primeur.
The 31-year-old remains one of the more important members of his squad, but that doesn’t mean he will play if he continues to perform as he has done under Jürgen Klopp this season.
Koeman said: “He will have to be better. We are well stocked with central defenders. I’ve always said to Virgil: you have to assume that the player next to you is making a mistake. Then you have to look: am I right? Am I assessing the situation correctly? And sometimes he just has to enter the duel much harder and shorter, but then he holds his position too much.
“I also discuss that with Virgil. He got injured, of course. A knee injury, a muscle injury, then played the World Cup in November… But I think his lesser form also has to do with the team he plays in.”
Liverpool currently find themselves seventh in the Premier League after 31 games, having won just 14 of those and losing a rather poor nine despite having a strong goal difference of +21.
They are in great danger of missing out on Champions League football for the first time in years, which could have an effect on their summer transfer window.
