Virgil van Dijk urgent request as Arne Slot told ‘writing on the wall’ at Liverpool

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Liverpool have lost their last four Premier League matches and have now been sent a message by a former Manchester United coach ahead of the clash with Aston Villa at AnfieldArne Slot and Virgil van Dijk have both been sent a message amid Liverpool's disappointing run of form. Slot and Co are without a win in the league since September 20 which came against Everton in the Merseyside derby.Liverpool's run of defeats has led to pressure being placed on Slot's position as the club's head coach.

However, former Manchester United assistant Rene Meulensteen, who worked closely with Sir Alex Ferguson, has explained why multiple factors may have led to the Reds' disappointing form.READ MORE: There were no winners in Alexander Isak Liverpool transfer saga - I believe in karmaREAD MORE: Liverpool handed new injury update as Reds star confirms return date - 'I will be there'“They [Liverpool] were winning games in the first games of the season but they were dragging themselves over the line in the last few minutes so the writing was on the wall and they’ve gone from leading the title race to being several points behind," Meulensteen said in an interview with compare.bet."That's an enormous shift but Slot has not turned into a bad manager. He's desperate to score a goal and get going.“Everybody's starting to question Mohamed Salah now but he hasn't suddenly turned into a bad player.

He has had these spells before where he suddenly hits a bit of a dry patch."Meulensteen went on to explain why he believes players such as Van Dijk should being show theiring leadership skills right now to urgently put an end to Liverpool's run of defeats.“They have to go back to themselves and say, when were we at our best and what were the reasons why? It starts with hard work, working together, doing your defensive jobs and making sure those players who thrive on being able to express themselves have the courage to play their best football.“That's what those big players do and there's no harm in asking the big players to step up.