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The Liverpool skipper has delivered a scathing evaluation of Liverpool's woeful championship campaign, confessing the title holders are in a mess and failing head coach Slot while doubting whether every player is owning up for the team’s slump.

Van Dijk could not contain his frustration after Saturday’s heavy loss at Anfield by Nottingham Forest, a result that saw the Reds 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 sixth defeat in seven league games, their eighth setback in eleven fixtures across all competitions, and a performance that unravelled against a Forest side that began the match in the drop zone.

Poor Second Half and Set-Piece Woes

Van Dijk described Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “not good enough” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as Murillo gave the visitors the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth concession Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the Premier League this season.

“We had a productive three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are facing facts and the truth is we conceded a free-kick in the first half and a poor concession at the start of the second half,” stated Van Dijk. “As a team, we're certainly letting him down, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. You look at yourself first and then you help each other, you work together to escape of this mess because at the present time it is a difficult situation – that's the reality.

Captain’s Challenge: Step Up

Van Dijk typically addresses the media after a match as part of his duties as team leader. This time was distinct, however. His voice was more forceful – so loud that any player in the Anfield tunnel could hear him – and he expressed visible fury while challenging the dressing room to respond. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that each individual has to be accountable.” When questioned whether that is happening, Van Dijk replied: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I want the boys to do. It’s not easy during tough periods but we must act if we want to get out of this.”

Squad Investment and Team Problems

The Merseyside club invested almost £450 million to strengthen a title-winning squad in the summer but have gone backwards, with new arrivals struggling to contribute so far. The captain maintained that Liverpool’s issues go beyond the recent additions. “It's difficult for all involved,” he said. “What I want is for everyone to be answerable on the field. 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. It’s basic things but it’s not happening enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

The Dutchman added: “In the current term we lack any steady form, we concede far too many goals, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I trust everyone sees that. We have to accept duty to turn this around and tempting to point fingers 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 avoid blaming others.

“Show character and confront the hardship and persist, again and again because if you want to give up then you are in the wrong environment in my eyes, because Liverpool has been enduring many adversity over recent seasons and we’ve consistently emerged of it. But it doesn’t mean it is easy, it’s tiring but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

Next up in the domestic league is a visit to London Stadium next weekend, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the Champions League. Van Dijk commented: “The next game is another game so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? No, I'll go home and analyze how we can turn this around and hopefully that is the collective focus as well.”