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The Liverpool skipper has issued a blunt assessment of the club's disappointing title defence, confessing the reigning champions are in a mess and failing manager Arne Slot while questioning whether all squad members is taking responsibility for the current downturn.

Van Dijk struggled to hold back his anger after the weekend's 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the lower section of the Premier League table with a deficit in goals. Tom Werner was in attendance to observe Liverpool’s latest loss in recent outings, their eighth setback in 11 matches across every tournament, and a display that fell apart against a Forest side that began the match in the drop zone.

Poor Second Half and Defensive Lapses

The captain labeled Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “not good enough” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as the Forest player gave the visitors the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the current campaign.

“There was a productive three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are dealing with facts and the truth is we gave away a set piece in the opening period and a poor concession at the start of the second half,” said the defender. “We are definitely failing the manager, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. Start with self-reflection and then you help each other, you help each other get out of this mess because at the moment it is a difficult situation – that’s just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Step Up

The skipper typically addresses the press after a match as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. His voice was more forceful – audible enough that any teammate in the stadium corridors could listen in – and he expressed visible fury while challenging the dressing room to respond. “Anger is justified,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that everyone has to take responsibility.” Asked whether this is occurring, he replied: “It's unclear. But it's essential. It’s the main thing I want the boys to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we have to do it if we aim to recover of this.”

Squad Investment and Team Problems

The Merseyside club spent almost £450 million to replenish a title-winning squad in the summer but have gone backwards, with new arrivals failing to make an impact so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s issues go beyond the recent additions. “It's difficult for all involved,” he said. “What I want is for each player to be answerable on the field. We have to do that in order to motivate one another, to make each other better. If a teammate presses, you must join the press. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

The Dutchman added: “In the current term we don’t have any consistency, we allow far too many goals, we are losing battles and all share the blame for it and I trust this is recognized. We have to take responsibility to reverse the situation and tempting to point fingers but you have to do it together. Past successes were collective and claimed the title and everyone was part of it, and during a tough time you have to stick together and avoid blaming others.

“You have to be a man and face the toughness and go again, repeatedly because surrendering is not an option then you are in the wrong environment in my eyes, because this club has been going through numerous challenges over those years and we’ve always come out of it. However, that doesn't imply it is straightforward, it’s tiring but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

Next up in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the European competition. Van Dijk said: “Wednesday is another opportunity so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I’m going to go home and analyze how we can improve results and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”