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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a blunt assessment of Liverpool's woeful championship campaign, confessing the reigning champions are in a mess and failing manager Arne Slot while doubting whether all squad members is taking responsibility for the current downturn.

Van Dijk struggled to hold back his anger after the weekend's heavy loss at Anfield by Nottingham Forest, a result that left Liverpool 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 setback in eleven fixtures across all competitions, and a performance that fell apart against a Forest side that began the match in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Defensive Lapses

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

“There was a great build-up to the match but in a fixture you are facing reality and the truth is we conceded a free-kick in the opening period and a poor concession at the beginning after the break,” stated Van Dijk. “We are definitely letting him down, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. You look at yourself first and then you support teammates, you help each other get out of this mess because at the present time it is a difficult situation – that's the reality.

Captain’s Challenge: Take Responsibility

The skipper typically addresses the media after a match as part of his role as team leader. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was more forceful – audible enough that any player in the Anfield tunnel could listen in – and he expressed visible fury while challenging the squad to respond. “Anger is justified,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” When questioned whether this is occurring, Van Dijk answered: “It's unclear. 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 have to do it if we aim to recover of this.”

Summer Signings and Broader Issues

The Merseyside club invested almost £450 million to replenish a title-winning squad in the summer but have regressed, with new arrivals failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk maintained that Liverpool’s problems go beyond the recent additions. “It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for each player to be answerable on the field. We have to do that in order to motivate one another, to improve collectively. If a teammate presses, you must join the press. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Call for Unity

The Dutchman added: “This season we don’t have any steady form, we concede far too many goals, we are being out-fought and all share the blame for it and I trust this is recognized. It's vital to accept duty to reverse the situation and tempting to assign blame but you have to do it together. Past successes were collective and won the league and everyone was part of it, and during a tough time you must remain united and not point fingers.

“You have to be a man and confront the hardship and persist, again and again because if you want to give up then you are at the wrong place in my view, because this club has been going through numerous challenges over those years and we’ve always come out of it. However, that doesn't imply it is easy, it’s exhausting but there is no other way.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a visit to London Stadium next Sunday, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the Champions League. He commented: “Wednesday is another game so how should I respond, dwell on the loss? No, I’m going to return and try to think how we can improve results and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”