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

Van Dijk struggled to hold back his frustration 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 deficit in goals. Tom Werner was present at Anfield to observe Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth setback in eleven fixtures across every tournament, and a performance that unravelled against a opponent that began the match in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Set-Piece Woes

The captain described Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “not good enough” and admitted “anxiety set 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.

“We had a productive build-up to the match but in a fixture you are dealing with facts and the facts are we gave away a set piece in the opening period and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” said Van Dijk. “We are definitely letting him down, but we’ve let ourselves down 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.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Take Responsibility

The skipper typically addresses the press after a match as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was much louder – audible enough that any teammate in the stadium corridors could hear him – and he expressed visible fury while urging the dressing room to react. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The main thing for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” Asked whether this is occurring, Van Dijk answered: “I don’t know. But it's essential. That's crucial I expect the boys to do. It’s not easy during tough periods but we must act if we want to get out of this.”

Summer Signings and Broader Issues

The Merseyside club invested almost £450m to strengthen a title-winning squad in the summer but have regressed, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk insisted that Liverpool’s problems extend past the new recruits. “It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for everyone to take responsibility on the pitch. We have to do that in order to motivate one another, to make each other better. If a teammate presses, you have to follow 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 allow excessive scores, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I hope everyone sees that. We have to accept duty to turn this around and tempting to assign blame but unity is essential. Past successes were collective and claimed the title and everyone was part of it, and during a tough time you have to stick together and not point fingers.

“You have to be a man and face the toughness and persist, repeatedly because surrendering is not an option then you are in the wrong environment in my eyes, because Liverpool 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 tiring but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a visit to London Stadium next weekend, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the European competition. He commented: “Wednesday is another game so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? No, I'll go home and try to think how we can turn this around and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”