Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has come under criticism for allegedly throwing a teammate under the bus as the Reds endure one of their worst runs of form in recent years.

Arne Slot’s side have now lost four consecutive Premier League games and won just one of their last seven matches across all competitions.

The early-season luck that saw them scrape late victories in their first five games has completely run out.

Liverpool currently sit eighth in the league table, with five wins and four defeats, leaving them 10 points behind leaders Arsenal.

Liverpool’s defensive struggles continue

Defence has been a major problem for Liverpool this season. While the centre-back pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate has remained unchanged, the full-back positions have seen heavy rotation.

Summer signing Milos Kerkez arrived from Bournemouth to replace Andrew Robertson on the left, while the right-back slot has been shared between Dominik Szoboszlai, Conor Bradley, and Jeremie Frimpong, none of whom have fully cemented the role.

The result has been a lack of defensive cohesion, with Liverpool’s full-backs often caught out of position, forcing Van Dijk and Konate to cover wide spaces and leaving the back line exposed.

Kerkez, in particular, has endured a difficult start to life...