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Virgil van Dijk has issued a blunt assessment of the club's woeful championship campaign, confessing the reigning champions are in a mess and failing head coach Slot while questioning whether every player is owning up for the team’s slump.

The Dutch defender could not contain his frustration after Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the lower section of the Premier League table with a negative goal difference. Tom Werner was in attendance to observe Liverpool’s latest loss in recent outings, their eighth loss in 11 matches across all competitions, and a performance that unravelled against a Forest side that started the day in the relegation zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Set-Piece Woes

The captain described Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “not good enough” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as the Forest player gave Sean Dyche’s team the lead. The first goal was the ninth concession Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the current campaign.

“There was a productive build-up to the match but in a fixture you are facing facts and the facts are we gave away a set piece in the opening period and a poor concession at the start of the second half,” stated the defender. “We are definitely letting him down, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. Start with self-reflection and then you support teammates, you help each other get out of this mess because at the present time it is a mess – that’s just a fact.

Captain’s Challenge: Take Responsibility

The skipper typically addresses the press after a match as part of his duties as team leader. This time was distinct, however. He spoke was much louder – audible enough that any player in the Anfield tunnel could hear him – and he shook with anger while urging the dressing room to respond. “Anger is justified,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” Asked whether this is occurring, Van Dijk replied: “I don’t know. But it's essential. It’s the main thing I want the players to do. It's challenging during difficult times but we have to do it if we want to get out of this.”

Squad Investment and Team Problems

The Merseyside club invested almost £450 million to strengthen a championship-winning team in the summer but have regressed, with new arrivals struggling to contribute so far. Van Dijk maintained that Liverpool’s problems extend past the new recruits. “It's difficult for all involved,” he said. “My expectation is for each player to take responsibility on the field. This is necessary in order to push each other, to improve collectively. If a teammate presses, you must join the press. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

Van Dijk continued: “In the current term we don’t have any consistency, we concede excessive scores, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I trust everyone sees that. It's vital to accept duty to turn this around and it is easy to point fingers but you have to do it together. We have been through it together and claimed the title and all contributed, and when you go through a challenging phase you have to stick together and avoid blaming others.

“You have to be a man and face the toughness and persist, again and again because if you want to give up then you are in the wrong environment in my view, because Liverpool has been going through numerous challenges over those years and we’ve always come out of it. But it doesn’t mean it is straightforward, it’s exhausting but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

Next up in the Premier League is a visit to London Stadium next Sunday, after the Champions League fixture of the Dutch side in the Champions League. Van Dijk commented: “The next game is another opportunity so what am I going to do, go home and cry? Certainly not, I'll return and try to think how we can turn this around and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”