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The Liverpool skipper has delivered a scathing evaluation of the club's disappointing championship campaign, admitting the title holders are in a mess and failing manager Arne Slot while questioning whether every player is owning up for the current downturn.

The Dutch defender could not contain his anger after Saturday’s heavy loss at Anfield by Nottingham Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the lower section of the top-flight standings with a negative goal difference. Tom Werner was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth loss in 11 matches across every tournament, and a display that fell apart against a Forest side that began the match in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Set-Piece Woes

The captain described 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. Forest’s opener was the ninth concession Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the current campaign.

“We had a productive three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are dealing with reality and the facts are we conceded a set piece in the opening period and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” stated Van Dijk. “We are certainly failing the manager, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. You look at yourself first and then you help each other, you help each other get out of this crisis because at the moment it is a mess – that’s just a fact.

Captain’s Challenge: Take Responsibility

Van Dijk usually speaks the media after a match as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was more forceful – audible enough that any teammate in the Anfield tunnel could hear him – and he expressed visible fury while urging the dressing room to respond. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that each individual has to take responsibility.” When questioned whether that is happening, Van Dijk replied: “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 Team Problems

The Merseyside club spent almost £450 million to replenish 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 maintained that Liverpool’s issues go beyond the recent additions. “It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for each player to take responsibility on the field. This is necessary in order to push each other, to make each other better. When someone is pressing, you must join the effort. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

Van Dijk added: “This season we lack any consistency, we concede far too many goals, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I trust this is recognized. We have to take responsibility 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 when you go through a challenging phase you have to stick together and not point fingers.

“You have to be a man and face the toughness and persist, again and again because surrendering is not an option then you are at the wrong place in my eyes, because Liverpool has been enduring 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

Next up in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the midweek visit of the Dutch side in the European competition. Van Dijk said: “The next game is another game so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? No, I’m going to go home and analyze how we can turn this around and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”