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Virgil van Dijk has issued a scathing assessment of the club's woeful championship campaign, confessing the reigning champions are in a mess and failing manager Arne Slot while questioning whether every player is taking responsibility for the team’s slump.

Van Dijk could not contain his anger after Saturday’s heavy loss at Anfield by Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the lower section of the top-flight standings with a deficit in goals. The club's chair was in attendance to observe Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven league games, their eighth loss in 11 matches across all competitions, and a display that unravelled against a opponent that began the match in the drop zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Set-Piece Woes

The captain labeled Liverpool’s start to the second half as “unacceptable” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as the Forest player gave Sean Dyche’s team the advantage. The first goal was the ninth goal Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the Premier League this season.

“We had a great build-up to the match but in a game you are dealing with facts and the truth is we gave away a free-kick in the first half and a terrible goal at the start of the second half,” stated the defender. “We are certainly failing the manager, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. You look at yourself first and then you help each other, you work together to escape of this crisis because at the moment it is a difficult situation – that's the reality.

Captain’s Challenge: Take Responsibility

The skipper typically addresses the media after a game as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. His voice was much louder – so loud that any player in the Anfield tunnel could listen in – and he shook with anger while urging the dressing room to react. “You should be angry,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that each individual has to be accountable.” When questioned whether that is happening, he replied: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I expect the boys to do. It’s not easy during tough periods but we must act if we aim to recover of this.”

Squad Investment and Broader Issues

Liverpool spent almost £450 million to strengthen a championship-winning team in the summer but have regressed, with new arrivals failing to make an impact so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s issues extend past the new recruits. “It's difficult for all involved,” he said. “My expectation is for everyone to be answerable on the field. This is necessary in order to motivate one another, to improve collectively. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the effort. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

Van Dijk continued: “This season we don’t have any consistency, we concede excessive scores, we are being out-fought and all share the blame for it and I hope everyone sees that. It's vital to accept duty to reverse the situation and it is easy to assign blame 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.

“Show character and confront the hardship and go again, again and again because if you want to give up then you are at the wrong place in my eyes, because Liverpool has been enduring many adversity over those years and we’ve always come out of it. But it doesn’t mean it is easy, it’s exhausting but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the domestic league is a visit to London Stadium next weekend, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the Champions League. He said: “Wednesday is another game so how should I respond, go home and cry? Certainly not, I'll go home and try to think how we can improve results and I trust that is what everyone is doing as well.”