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Virgil van Dijk has issued a blunt evaluation of the club's woeful championship campaign, admitting the reigning champions are in disarray and letting down manager Arne Slot while doubting whether every player is taking responsibility for the current downturn.

Van Dijk could not contain his anger after Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the lower section of the Premier League table with a negative goal difference. The club's chair was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven league games, their eighth setback in eleven fixtures across all competitions, and a performance that fell apart against a Forest side that started the day in the relegation zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Set-Piece Woes

Van Dijk described Liverpool’s start to the second half as “unacceptable” and admitted “panic kicked 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.

“There was a great build-up to the match but in a fixture you are facing reality and the facts are we gave away a set piece in the opening period and a terrible goal at the start of the second half,” said the defender. “We are certainly failing the manager, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. You look at yourself first and then you support teammates, you work together to escape of this mess because at the moment it is a difficult situation – that’s just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Take Responsibility

Van Dijk typically addresses the press after a game as part of his role as team leader. This time was distinct, however. He spoke was more forceful – audible enough that any teammate in the Anfield tunnel could listen in – and he expressed visible fury while urging the squad to respond. “You should be angry,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that each individual has to take responsibility.” When questioned whether this is occurring, Van Dijk replied: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I expect the players to do. It's challenging during difficult times but we must act if we want to get out of this.”

Summer Signings and Broader Issues

Liverpool invested almost £450m to strengthen a title-winning squad in the off-season but have gone backwards, with new arrivals failing to make an impact so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s problems go beyond the recent additions. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for everyone to be answerable on the pitch. This is necessary in order to motivate one another, to make each other better. If a teammate presses, you must join the effort. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

Van Dijk continued: “This season we don’t have any steady form, we concede far too many goals, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I hope everyone sees that. It's vital to accept duty to reverse the situation and it is easy to point fingers but unity is essential. Past successes were collective and won the league 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 go again, repeatedly because if you want to give up then you are in the wrong environment in my eyes, because this club has been going through many adversity over those years and we’ve consistently emerged of it. But it doesn’t mean it is straightforward, it’s tiring but there is no other way.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the midweek visit of the Dutch side in the Champions League. Van Dijk commented: “Wednesday is another opportunity so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I'll go home and analyze how we can turn this around and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”