Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has come under fire for his on-field conduct during the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain, with former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson slamming the Dutchman for berating teammate Joe Gomez.

The incident occurred during a tense second half at the Parc des Princes, where Liverpool eventually fell to a 2-0 defeat.

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As the Reds struggled to cope with the pace of PSG’s wide men, Van Dijk was caught by cameras furiously gesturing and shouting at Gomez following a missed defensive rotation.

Virgil van Dijk criticised for berating Joe Gomez

Pundit Paul Robinson, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, was quick to condemn the captain’s body language, suggesting that Van Dijk’s tendency to publicly target his teammates is becoming a recurring issue.

“Virgil van Dijk once again criticising his teammates,” Robinson remarked. “There is no need for Van Dijk to criticise Joe Gomez when he didn’t overlap him.”

Gomez has often been a reliable partner for Van Dijk, but the lack of cohesion at the heart of the defense was ruthlessly exploited by PSG’s Kvicha Kvaratskhelia just minutes later for the home side’s second goal.

The atmosphere at the club is at an all-time low

The attitude is being viewed by many as a symptom of a much deeper problem at Anfield.

Following a brutal 4-0 FA Cup exit to Manchester City just days ago, after which Van Dijk admitted the team “gave up”, the cracks in the squad’s unity are widening.

With 16 defeats now recorded across all competitions this season, the pressure on manager Arne Slot has reached a breaking point.

From fans leaving early, to calls for Slot’s sacking mounting and fueled by incidents like Dominik Szoboszlai’s altercation with fans and now the captain’s open frustration with his colleagues.

As Liverpool head back to Merseyside for the second leg, they face the near-impossible task of overturning a two-goal deficit against the European champions.

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Less than a year after orchestrating a stunning Premier League title triumph in his debut campaign, Liverpool manager Arne Slot finds himself firmly on the brink.

The 2025/26 season has rapidly unravelled for the Dutch tactician, culminating in a humiliating 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final thrashing at the hands of Manchester City.

With fan unrest growing and the threat of the sack looming large, the Anfield hierarchy is reportedly scrutinising Slot’s position as the club’s domestic and European ambitions hang by a thread.

Beyond the domestic cup exit, the Reds have suffered a staggering ten Premier League defeats, leaving them in a desperate dogfight simply to secure a top-four finish.

Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown has claimed that the players are as much to blame for Liverpool’s downfall this season as manager Slot.

Salah and Van Dijk named as players for letting Slot down

Two of the team’s most senior players Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk have been named by Brown for not helping the manager save their season.

Having signed new deals at the club last year, both Salah and Van Dijk were expected to hit new heights but their form has struggled massively this season.

So much that Salah has even announced that he will leave the club at the end of the season for a new adventure.

“Slot has been thrown under the bus at Liverpool,” Brown told Football Insider.

“Look through the squad, how many of them can you say have really performed to their top level? But it’s the manager who picks up the bill for it.

“He’s been badly let down by a number of his senior players.

“Van Dijk has got a brilliant reputation which has been well-earned, but he hasn’t performed anywhere close to his usual standard this season.

“Salah as well, we’ve spoken about him a number of times and the fact he’s dropped off.

“Then looking through the team, you’ve got players like Ibrahima Konate for example who again has been nowhere near the level required of him.

“So all of these things start to add up, but eventually it’s the manager who has to deal with it when results aren’t going their way.

“If Slot does get sacked by Liverpool, the players are just as much to blame as anything else.”

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What does the future hold for Slot at Liverpool?

The mounting crisis has inevitably sparked intense speculation regarding Slot’s immediate future.

Rumours circulating across various outlets suggest that FSG has brought forward an end-of-season review, with whispers even indicating that Slot might be open to stepping down if a suitable severance package is agreed upon.

While some internal sources maintain that there is no imminent panic to sack him before the summer, recognising the mitigating circumstances of horrific injuries, the shadow of former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso looms large.

To survive the looming summer review and convince FSG to back him for a third season, Slot must immediately galvanise his disjointed squad, salvage a Champions League qualification spot, and present a convincing, unified front against PSG.

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The post ‘If Slot does get sacked by Liverpool’ – Expert names two players for letting Arne Slot down appeared first on CaughtOffside.