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Virgil van Dijk has issued a blunt assessment of the club's woeful championship campaign, confessing the title holders are in a mess and failing manager Arne Slot while questioning whether every player is owning up for the team’s slump.

Van Dijk struggled to hold back his anger after the weekend's heavy loss at Anfield by Nottingham Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the lower section of the top-flight standings with a deficit in goals. Tom Werner was present at Anfield to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven league games, their eighth setback in eleven fixtures across all competitions, and a display that fell apart against a opponent that started the day in the drop zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Defensive Lapses

The captain described Liverpool’s start to the second half as “unacceptable” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as the Forest player gave the visitors 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 facing facts and the truth is we conceded a set piece in the first half and a poor concession at the beginning after the break,” stated Van Dijk. “We are definitely letting him down, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. Start with self-reflection and then you support teammates, you work together to escape of this crisis because at the moment it is a mess – that’s just a fact.

Captain’s Challenge: Step Up

Van Dijk typically addresses the press after a game as part of his duties as team leader. This time was distinct, however. His voice was much louder – so loud that any teammate in the stadium corridors could listen in – and he expressed visible fury while urging the squad to respond. “Anger is justified,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that each individual has to take responsibility.” When questioned whether this is occurring, he replied: “I don’t know. But it's essential. It’s the main thing I expect the players to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we must act if we want to get out of this.”

Summer Signings and Broader Issues

Liverpool invested almost £450 million to strengthen a championship-winning team in the summer but have gone backwards, with new arrivals struggling to contribute so far. Van Dijk 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 field. We have to do that in order to motivate one another, to improve collectively. If a teammate presses, you must join the effort. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Call for Unity

The Dutchman continued: “In the current term we don’t have any consistency, we concede excessive scores, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I trust this is recognized. It's vital to accept duty to turn this around and it is easy to point fingers but unity is essential. Past successes were collective and won the league and everyone was part of it, and when you go through a tough time you must remain united and not point fingers.

“Show character and face the toughness and go again, repeatedly because if you want to give up then you are at the wrong place in my view, because Liverpool has been enduring numerous challenges over recent seasons and we’ve consistently emerged of it. But it doesn’t mean 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 Sunday, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the Champions League. Van Dijk said: “Wednesday is another opportunity so how should I respond, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I’m going to go home and try to think how we can improve results and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”