Antonio Rudiger issues Virgil van Dijk verdict as Arne Slot admits Liverpool fitness concern
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A round-up of the latest Liverpool news as Antonio Rudiger issues his honest verdict on Virgil van Dijk, plus Arne Slot admits the Anfield outfit have a big fitness concern.
Alan Shearer thinks Mohamed Salah is 'very much like' Bukayo Saka
Premier League legend Alan Shearer has seen one clear similarity between Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah and Arsenal counterpart, Bukayo Saka. The Reds and Gunners stars are two of Europe's top right-sided talents and often seen as the very best in the English top-flight.
Salah has led the way for right wingers in the Premier League ever since he joined Liverpool from AS Roma in June 2017. The 32-year-old has scored at least 18 goals in every season for the Anfield side, and already has four in six games this term, for a total of 159 in 256 games.
With Saka stepping up from Arsenal's academy for his Premier League debut aged 17 back in January 2019, the England ace does not have the same output as Salah. He has 48 goals in 176 games, including a season-best of 16 in 35 appearances set in the 2023/24 campaign.
Yet after seeing Salah score his 42nd Champions League goal for the Reds as Liverpool beat Bologna 2-0, Shearer spotted a clear similarity between how the Egyptian and Saka instantly look like scoring when allowed to jink inside. Both players like cutting in and finessing a shot.
Shearer claimed on The Rest is Football: "Once he moves into that position, very much like Saka, isn't he? Once he moves into that position and he just moves the defender you know what he's trying to do and inevitably, more often than not, the ball hits the back of the net."
Read more about what Shearer has said about Liverpool's Salah and Arsenal's Saka, here.
Arne Slot admits Federico Chiesa is a doubt for Liverpool at Crystal Palace
Liverpool head to Crystal Palace in the 12:30 Saturday kick-off but could be without Federico Chiesa after Arne Slot confirmed he is yet to resume training. The 26-year-old is struggling to shake the minor injury that initially stopped him from being in their side against Bologna.
It has been a very stuttered start to Chiesa's Liverpool career since joining from Juventus in a last-gasp summer transfer. The Italy star has played in three games for 78 of a possible 630 minutes. He came to Anfield lacking fitness after being excluded from Juventus' pre-season.
Chiesa first reported the injury this Tuesday having practiced like normal at the AXA Training Centre on Monday. He has also failed to take part in the Reds' sessions as attentions turned to Saturday's trip to south London. But Slot wants to 'wait and see' if Chiesa can yet feature.
"Wait and see," Slot said during his pre-game press conference on Friday. "He didn't train for the last two days. He came in today to see if he could train and if he can, I still have a decision to make because we can only pick 20 and he hasn't trained for a few days."
Read more about what Slot has claimed about Liverpool forward Chiesa's fitness, here.
Antonio Rudiger rates Virgil van Dijk among the best three centre-backs in the world
Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger believes Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk is one of the top three centre-backs in the world today. The German rubbishes claims that the Dutchman is past his peak as only Arsenal stars, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, compare to him.
Van Dijk has often faced scrutiny for his performances and accusations that the 33-year-old is not the player he was before suffering an ACL injury at Everton in October 2020. It took a wait of 10 months for Van Dijk to return, but often lacked the dominance he offered before.
Yet Rudiger feels Van Dijk has been back to being one of the best centre-back's in the world over the last few years. His leadership at the back even saw Jurgen Klopp hand Van Dijk the captain's armband at Anfield when Jordan Henderson quit Liverpool for Al-Ettifaq in 2024.
"He had times when people doubted him and stuff like this. But he's doing so well after a big injury that can change careers," Rudiger told The Inside Scoop.
"People also said he's done, but he's not done and he's a top-class defender. Definitely, in the last couple of years, [Van Dijk is] one of the best centre-backs."
Read more about what Rudiger has had to say about Liverpool defender Van Dijk, here.
