Sacking Arne Slot won't fix a glaring Liverpool problem which is only going to get worse - opinion
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The Reds started off well at the Etihad Stadium, but after the setback of Erling Haaland’s penalty opener, they simply – and quickly – went to pieces.Plenty of blame was attached to captain Virgil van Dijk, but fellow veteran Mohamed Salah also failed to put Liverpool on his shoulders at their time of need. Is it time for Van Dijk to join Salah this summer and leave Liverpool?
The errors are beginning to pile up… Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images Liverpool have a leadership vacuum which is getting worseVan Dijk has undoubtedly been a terrific captain during his three years in the role so far, but it has often been levelled at him that he is just too casual a character to get his teammates going when the times get tough.In that scenario, you need a dominant vice-captain to pick up the slack. Jurgen Klopp was blessed with Jordan Henderson and James Milner throughout most of his time at Anfield, but in Andy Robertson, Liverpool now have a second-in-command who rarely plays.There is little question that Robertson is one of the real leaders of the current dressing room, but the Scot is almost certainly leaving this summer, meaning Slot will once again have to pick a new vice.With the experience of Salah also heading out of the door, Liverpool’s lack of grit is going to get much worse before it gets better.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty ImagesREAD MORE: Two Reds proved that the disconnect between Liverpool fans and players has never been bigger vs Man CityAs Van Dijk continues into the autumn of his career, there has been much debate about which of the current Liverpool squad could succeed him as captain, but when the chips were truly down on Saturday, not one of them stepped up to throw their hat into the ring.Younger Liverpool players are not leaders at allThe one name who has been put forward as a credible potential successor to Van Dijk this season is Dominik Szoboszlai. You can only pick ONE player for Liverpool to sign this summer, who is it?