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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a scathing evaluation of the club's woeful championship campaign, admitting the title holders are in a mess and failing manager Arne Slot while doubting whether every player is taking responsibility for the team’s slump.

The Dutch defender could not contain his anger after the weekend's heavy loss at Anfield by Nottingham Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the bottom half of the top-flight standings with a deficit in goals. Tom Werner was in attendance to observe Liverpool’s latest loss in seven league games, their eighth loss in 11 matches across every tournament, and a performance that unravelled against a Forest side that started the day in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Set-Piece Woes

The captain labeled Liverpool’s start to the second half as “unacceptable” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as Murillo gave Sean Dyche’s team the advantage. The first goal was the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the Premier League this season.

“We had a great three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are dealing with facts and the truth is we conceded a free-kick in the first half and a poor concession at the start of the second half,” stated Van Dijk. “We are definitely failing the manager, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. Start with self-reflection and then you support teammates, you work together to escape of this crisis because at the moment it is a mess – that’s just a fact.

Captain’s Challenge: Step Up

Van Dijk typically addresses the press after a match as part of his role as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was more forceful – audible enough that any player in the stadium corridors could listen in – and he expressed visible fury while challenging the dressing room to respond. “You should be angry,” he emphasized. “The main thing for me is that everyone has to take responsibility.” When questioned whether that is happening, Van Dijk answered: “I don’t know. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I want the boys to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we must act if we aim to recover of this.”

Summer Signings and Team Problems

The Merseyside club invested almost £450 million to replenish a title-winning squad in the off-season but have regressed, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk insisted that Liverpool’s issues extend past the recent additions. “It’s tough for all involved,” he said. “What I want is for each player to be answerable on the field. We have to do that in order to push each other, to improve collectively. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the effort. It’s basic things but it’s not happening enough.”

Call for Unity

Van Dijk continued: “This season we lack any steady form, we concede excessive scores, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I trust everyone sees that. We have to accept duty to reverse the situation and tempting to assign blame but you have to do it together. Past successes were collective and claimed the title and everyone was part of it, and when you go through a tough time you have to stick together and not point fingers.

“You have to be a man and face the toughness and persist, again and again because surrendering is not an option then you are in the wrong environment in my view, because Liverpool has been going through numerous challenges over recent seasons and we’ve consistently emerged of it. However, that doesn't imply it is easy, it’s tiring but there is no other way.”

Next Fixtures

Next up in the Premier League is a visit to London Stadium next weekend, after the Champions League fixture of the Dutch side in the European competition. He commented: “Wednesday is another opportunity so how should I respond, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I'll go home and try to think how we can turn this around and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”