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Virgil van Dijk has issued a scathing evaluation of the club's woeful championship campaign, confessing the reigning champions are in disarray and letting down head coach Slot while doubting whether every player is owning up for the current downturn.

Van Dijk could not contain his frustration after the weekend's heavy loss at Anfield by Nottingham Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the bottom half of the top-flight standings with a deficit in goals. Tom Werner was in attendance to observe Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth loss in 11 matches across every tournament, and a display that fell apart against a Forest side that started the day in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Set-Piece Woes

Van Dijk described Liverpool’s start to the second half as “unacceptable” 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 allowed from dead-ball situations in the Premier League this season.

“There was a productive build-up to the match but in a game you are dealing with reality and the facts are we conceded a free-kick in the first half and a terrible goal at the start of the second half,” stated the defender. “As a team, we're definitely 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 difficult situation – that’s just a fact.

Captain’s Challenge: Take Responsibility

Van Dijk typically addresses the media after a match as part of his duties as team leader. Saturday was different, however. His voice was more forceful – so loud that any player in the Anfield tunnel could hear him – and he shook with anger while urging the dressing room to react. “You should be angry,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that each individual has to be accountable.” Asked whether this is occurring, he answered: “I don’t know. But it's essential. That's crucial I want the players to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we have to do it if we want to get out of this.”

Squad Investment and Broader Issues

Liverpool spent almost £450m to replenish a championship-winning team in the off-season but have regressed, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk maintained that Liverpool’s issues go beyond the new recruits. “It’s tough for all involved,” he said. “My expectation is for each player to be answerable on the pitch. This is necessary in order to push each other, to improve collectively. When someone is pressing, you have to follow the press. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

Van Dijk added: “This season we lack any consistency, we allow far too many goals, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I hope everyone sees that. It's vital to take responsibility to turn this around and tempting to assign blame but you have to do it together. We have been through it together and won the league and all contributed, and during a challenging phase you have to stick together and avoid blaming others.

“You have to be a man and confront the hardship and go again, again and again because if you want to give up then you are at the wrong place in my eyes, because Liverpool has been enduring numerous challenges over those years and we’ve always come out of it. However, that doesn't imply it is straightforward, it’s exhausting but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a visit to London Stadium next Sunday, after the Champions League fixture of the Dutch side in the Champions League. He commented: “The next game is another opportunity so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I'll return and try to think how we can turn this around and hopefully that is the collective focus as well.”