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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a blunt assessment of the club's woeful title defence, admitting the title holders are in a mess and failing manager Arne Slot while questioning whether every player is taking responsibility for the current downturn.

The Dutch defender could not contain his anger after the weekend's 3-0 home defeat by Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a deficit in goals. The club's chair was in attendance to observe Liverpool’s latest loss in seven league games, their eighth setback in 11 matches across all competitions, and a performance that unravelled against a opponent that started the day in the drop zone.

Poor Second Half and Set-Piece Woes

Van Dijk labeled Liverpool’s start to the second half as “unacceptable” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as Murillo gave Sean Dyche’s team the lead. The first goal was the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the current campaign.

“There was a great build-up to the match but in a fixture you are facing facts and the facts are we gave away a free-kick in the opening period and a poor concession at the beginning after the break,” said the defender. “We are certainly failing the manager, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. Start with self-reflection and then you support teammates, you help each other get out of this crisis because at the moment it is a mess – that's the reality.

Captain’s Challenge: Take Responsibility

The skipper typically addresses the media after a match as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. His voice was much louder – so loud that any teammate in the Anfield tunnel could hear him – and he shook with anger while urging the squad to respond. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that each individual has to take responsibility.” Asked whether this is occurring, Van Dijk replied: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. That's crucial I expect the players to do. It’s not easy during difficult times but we have to do it if we aim to recover of this.”

Squad Investment and Broader Issues

Liverpool invested almost £450 million to strengthen a championship-winning team in the off-season but have gone backwards, with new arrivals struggling to contribute so far. Van Dijk insisted that Liverpool’s problems extend past the new recruits. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for everyone to take responsibility on the pitch. We have to do that in order to push each other, to make each other better. When someone is pressing, you must join the effort. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

Van Dijk continued: “In the current term we don’t have any steady form, we concede far too many goals, we are being out-fought and all share the blame for it and I trust everyone sees that. It's vital to accept duty to turn this around and tempting to point fingers but you have to do it together. We have been through it together and claimed the title and all contributed, and during a challenging phase you must remain united and avoid blaming others.

“You have to be a man and confront the hardship and persist, repeatedly because if you want to give up then you are at the wrong place in my view, because this club has been enduring numerous challenges over those years and we’ve consistently emerged of it. However, that doesn't imply it is straightforward, it’s tiring but there is no other way.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a visit to London Stadium next Sunday, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the European competition. He commented: “Wednesday is another game so what am I going to do, go home and cry? Certainly not, I'll go home and try to think how we can improve results and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”