'Rocket' Ronny Rosenthal may not have played in the Premier League for 29 years, but he is still remembered fondly by supporters of both clubs.
Flashscore's features writer, Jason Pettigrove, tapped into Rosenthal's knowledge of the Anfield outfit, and garnered his opinion on what they need to do in order to improve upon their 2025/26 showing. Part 2 on Tottenham is coming soon.
Salah has faded a little bit
I’d like to ask you about one of your old clubs, Liverpool, who haven’t had the best season. What ingredient do you think has been missing from their play this season compared to 2024/25?
"I think that it's a mixture of being a bit unlucky, and also Salah, for example, who has been vital for them, fading a little bit. If you start the season negatively, too, that can continue. I don't think that they've become bad overnight, either. They should be dominating, yes, but I'm sure that they will bounce back and they will be stronger."
Do you think Liverpool misses having a big character in the dressing room? Obviously, when you were at Liverpool, there was Steve McMahon, and prior to you being there, the club had the likes of Graeme Souness. There doesn't appear to be too many big voices in that dressing room.
"More than the football being played, a successful team is built by having quality players in the squad. And of course, they have to gel together. Perhaps it seems that this season, that side of things hasn't been working as well as in recent years. I'm not sure they need that kind of leader either; they need quality players. I'm sure they will bring more in to try to improve the side, and next season, whilst it might be difficult for them to win the league, I think that they'll make the top four. They will always be up there."
Advice to Alexander Isak
You mentioned there about more players coming in, and obviously, Alexander Isak was a new signing at the start of this season. He's obviously had his injuries, but when he's played, his form hasn't been very good. As a former striker yourself, what would your advice be to him?
"He just needs a fresh start. He's a player that I contacted when he was playing in Sweden a long time ago, and he still has the quality, but if a player can't play regularly - at least 60 to 70 per cent of the games - you won't see the best of him. It's obvious that he's got the quality, the speed, the technique, and some trickiness about him, but if he's only playing in 30% of the games because of injuries or other problems, then you're not going to see him having an amazing season."
At the other end of the attacking spectrum, you've already mentioned Mo Salah. Obviously, he's going to leave Liverpool in the summer, so what will his legacy to the club be?
"He's been a huge part of Liverpool's success over the last few years, and there's no way to adequately describe his contribution to the club. It's obvious, but everyone knows he can't go forever. I think he's maintained a great level for many years, so Liverpool can only thank him, and I'm sure he will thank Liverpool. He will always be remembered as one of the club's best-ever players. He's done his job, and he's done more than enough for Liverpool."
The manager isn't the problem
Regarding Arne Slot, there seems to be a lot of supporter discontent because of how this season has panned out, and there's even talk that the Dutchman should be replaced. Should he?
"I don't think it's the manager who is the problem. It's about the quality of the players there, as I said earlier."
What was it like for you playing under Kenny Dalglish, and can you describe your time at the club?
"I knew that when I signed for Liverpool, I had a huge challenge to compete with top players, but you have to have confidence in your own ability. I had to prove in a very short time to Kenny that I was capable of making an impact, and I'm glad I did that. Of course, it was difficult to maintain that for four years because when I first joined, Liverpool won the league. Then slowly they started fading because football started to change, and Liverpool, though they had top, top players, they didn't have enough top athletes. That was the biggest change from the beginning of the 90s, and our quality wasn't enough. That's the reason, for me, why Liverpool didn't win the league for 20 years."
