Liverpool news: Virgil van Dijk confronts Wayne Rooney and Florian Wirtz transfer claim

After an outstanding 2-0 victory over Aston Villa over the weekend, Liverpool returned to their spectacular best as they defeated Real Madrid 1-0 at Anfield.

With two decisive victories for manager Arne Slot, who was under fire following a run of six losses in seven games across all competitions, including four straight Premier League losses, England’s champions have put their recent bad play behind them. The Spanish titans were defeated by a header from Alexis Mac Allister, and only goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’s heroics saved them from a more severe loss.

After supporters voiced their disapproval of his choice to run down his contract and go for a meager price in the summer, former Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold had a dreadful return to his former stomping ground. Liverpool’s victory over Villa moved them up to third place in the standings, and the mood music on Merseyside has changed significantly from a week ago.

Victory over title contenders On Sunday, Manchester City might completely change the Reds’ mood. This is Anfield’s most recent news.

David Beckham was dubbed the “world’s luckiest man” after Victoria removed her underwear in provocative photos.

“I think it’s fantastic that Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk is speaking up and saying, ‘I ain’t having what people are saying, I don’t agree with that. On his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, he said, “I think it’s brilliant.”

“You want this. This is what you require. You need players with a little personality and character. It’s a different discourse whether you agree with him or not, but I appreciate that he’s prickly and says, “No, I’m not having that and I want to call it out,” after reading, seeing, and hearing it.

Van Dijk had called Rooney’s viewpoint “ridiculous.” “I didn’t hear him last year,” he said after the victory over Aston Villa. I’m not harmed by it.

“I can only say good things about this specific guy, who is undoubtedly a legend and a major player in the game who inspired a lot of people, but I think that comment is a bit of a cheap criticism.

“It’s simple to point the finger at the more experienced players, but he and everyone else are aware that we work together to try to help each other out of this. These days, there are so many platforms available that anyone can say anything they want and it will become viral.

“I’ve noticed that there is a lot of noise, especially in the past several weeks… Some of their opinions are utterly absurd.

Following Liverpool’s victory against Madrid, the two had an uncomfortable encounter during Amazon Prime’s post-match coverage. “I am not saying anything any more because I think I spurred them on and put them on a winning streak,” Rooney confessed.

“When you win the Premier League and then go on a run where you lose three or four straight games—something you don’t expect from Liverpool over the past few years—I think what I said was fair. I was suggesting that since Virgil is captain, you have the chance to go and guide the players. That occurs in football, and I believe Virgil and the squad have responded admirably.”

“I think if you would watch games, then [you’d see] I would definitely take the responsibility,” Van Dijk said to Rooney. I believe that after I signed my new contract, many said, “You know, that’s it, let it go.” That was a little bit, I believe.

“I want to perform for the team, the club, and everyone who has stood by us through good times and bad. And even if I’m lucky that it didn’t happen too frequently, it still bothers me a lot when we go through a difficult period as a team and lose games. and I want to make things better. Additionally, I can see the quality of our job because I witness it every single day.”

Wirtz transfer shock

According to Fernando Carro, CEO of Bayer Leverkusen, Florian Wirtz would have probably been a Real Madrid player rather than Liverpool’s if the Spanish powerhouse had made an approach.

Wirtz became the most expensive player in English football history when he moved from Leverkusen to Liverpool in July for an unprecedented £116 million. Manchester City appeared to be the primary contenders for the German maestro’s signature earlier in the year, but Pep Guardiola’s team decided not to place a bid because the financial package was too large.

It’s unclear if Madrid, led by Xabi Alonso, Wirtz’s former Leverkusen manager, were interested, but Carro believes that their participation could have changed the outcome.

“If Xabi had made the offer, he would have undoubtedly gone to Madrid. However, Xabi has more influence with us than he has at Madrid,” he remarked. “Wirtz aspires to win the Champions League. He realized that while we had won the Bundesliga, it could be harder to win the Champions League with Bayer Leverkusen.

As it turned out, Wirtz gave one of the Reds’ best performances to date when he was used on the left flank of attack against Madrid and put forth endless effort to help Liverpool win at their expense.

The target should be the defender.

Dietmar Hamann, a former Liverpool player, has proposed a transfer target for his former team. He has suggested Nico Schlotterbeck, a defender for Borussia Dortmund, praising the German international as a “outstanding” player who would be the ideal answer to Liverpool’s defensive problems.

After Giovanni Leoni’s season-ending injury, the Reds’ defensive options have been drastically reduced; the only senior center-backs available to them right now are Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and Joe Gomez.

Although Bayern Munich is reportedly keeping an eye on the 25-year-old, Hamann believes Schlotterbeck may first establish a partnership with Van Dijk before eventually taking over as the mainstay of Liverpool’s defense.

Hamann stated to ESportsBets.com, “Bayern Munich are stepping up their interest in Nico Schlotterbeck.” “He has only been back for four or five weeks after missing four or five months due to an injury. He is an innate leader.

“You don’t know how long Virgil van Dijk will be there, but Liverpool is interested. Bringing in someone who might play alongside Van Dijk for a year or two before taking over Van Dijk’s position would be ideal. He would be a fantastic addition to Liverpool and many other teams, in my opinion.”

Schlotterbeck has decided to wait until spring to sign new contracts with Dortmund in order to assess the team’s chances of competing for championships.

After recovering from a protracted injury, the center-back has already made 132 appearances for Dortmund and earned 22 caps for Germany.

Demands for defensive reinforcements come January as a result of Liverpool’s failure to sign Marc Guehi during the summer. If Hamann’s advice is heeded, Schlotterbeck might be the next player on the team’s wish list.