🔗 Share this article

Virgil van Dijk has delivered a blunt assessment of the club's disappointing championship campaign, confessing the reigning champions are in disarray and failing manager Arne Slot while questioning whether all squad members is owning up for the team’s slump.

Van Dijk could not contain his frustration after Saturday’s heavy loss at Anfield by Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a negative goal difference. The club's chair was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth loss in eleven fixtures across all competitions, and a performance that unravelled against a Forest side that started the day in the drop zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Defensive Lapses

The captain labeled Liverpool’s start to the second half as “unacceptable” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as the Forest player gave the visitors the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth concession Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the Premier League this season.

“We had a productive build-up to the match but in a fixture you are dealing with facts and the truth is we gave away a set piece in the first half and a poor concession at the beginning after the break,” said Van Dijk. “As a team, we're 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 just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Take Responsibility

The skipper usually speaks the media after a match as part of his role as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. His voice was much louder – so loud that any teammate in the Anfield tunnel could listen in – and he expressed visible fury while urging the squad to react. “You should be angry,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” Asked whether that is happening, he answered: “I don’t know. But you have to do that. That's crucial I expect the players to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we have to do it if we want to get out of this.”

Squad Investment and Broader Issues

Liverpool spent almost £450m to strengthen a title-winning squad in the summer but have gone backwards, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s problems extend past the new recruits. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for each player to take responsibility on the field. This is necessary in order to motivate one another, to make each other better. When someone is pressing, you have to follow the effort. These are fundamentals but it’s not happening enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

The Dutchman added: “In the current term we lack any steady form, we concede excessive scores, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I trust this is recognized. We have to accept duty to turn this around and it is easy to assign blame but unity is essential. We have been through it together and claimed the title and everyone was part of it, and during a challenging phase you have to stick together and avoid blaming others.

“You have to be a man and face the toughness and persist, repeatedly because surrendering is not an option 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. However, that doesn't imply it is easy, it’s tiring but there is only one path forward.”

Looking Ahead

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the Champions League fixture of the Dutch side in the Champions League. Van Dijk commented: “The next game is another opportunity so how should I respond, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I'll return and try to think how we can improve results and hopefully that is the collective focus as well.”