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Virgil van Dijk has issued a scathing assessment of the club's woeful championship campaign, confessing the title holders are in a mess and failing head coach Slot while questioning whether every player is taking responsibility for the team’s slump.

The Dutch defender struggled to hold back his anger after Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a negative goal difference. Tom Werner was in attendance to observe Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven league games, their eighth setback in 11 matches across every tournament, and a display that fell apart against a opponent that began the match in the drop zone.

Poor Second Half and Defensive Lapses

The captain described Liverpool’s start to the second half 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 goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the Premier League this season.

“There was a great three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are dealing with facts and the truth is we gave away a free-kick in the first half and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” said the defender. “We are certainly failing the manager, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. Start with self-reflection and then you help each other, you work together to escape of this crisis because at the moment it is a difficult situation – that’s just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Take Responsibility

Van Dijk usually speaks the media after a game as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. This time was distinct, however. He spoke was more forceful – audible enough that any teammate in the Anfield tunnel could hear him – and he expressed visible fury while challenging the squad to respond. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that everyone has to take responsibility.” Asked whether that is happening, Van Dijk answered: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. That's crucial I expect the boys to do. It’s not easy during difficult times but we must act if we want to get out of this.”

Squad Investment and Team Problems

Liverpool invested almost £450 million to strengthen a championship-winning team in the off-season but have gone backwards, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk insisted that Liverpool’s problems extend past the recent additions. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for everyone to take responsibility on the pitch. This is necessary in order to motivate one another, to improve collectively. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the press. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

The Dutchman added: “In the current term we lack any steady form, we concede excessive scores, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I hope this is recognized. It's vital to take responsibility 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 must remain united and avoid blaming others.

“Show character and confront the hardship and persist, repeatedly because surrendering is not an option then you are in the wrong environment in my view, because Liverpool has been enduring numerous challenges over recent seasons and we’ve always come out of it. However, that doesn't imply it is easy, it’s exhausting but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the domestic league is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the midweek visit of PSV in the Champions League. Van Dijk said: “Wednesday is another opportunity so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? No, I’m going to return and analyze how we can improve results and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”