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The Liverpool skipper has delivered a blunt evaluation of the club's woeful title defence, confessing the title holders are in a mess and failing manager Arne Slot while questioning whether every player is taking responsibility for the team’s slump.

Van Dijk could not contain his frustration after the weekend's heavy loss at Anfield by Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the bottom half of the top-flight standings with a deficit in goals. The club's chair was present at Anfield to observe Liverpool’s latest loss in recent outings, their eighth loss in eleven fixtures across every tournament, and a performance that unravelled against a Forest side that started the day in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Defensive Lapses

Van Dijk labeled Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “not good enough” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as the Forest player gave the visitors the lead. The first goal was the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the current campaign.

“We had a great three or four days’ preparation but in a game you are facing reality and the truth is we gave away a free-kick in the first half and a terrible goal at the start of the second half,” said the defender. “As a team, we're certainly failing the manager, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. Start with self-reflection and then you help each other, you work together to escape of this crisis because at the moment it is a difficult situation – that’s just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Take Responsibility

Van Dijk usually speaks the media after a game as part of his role as team leader. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was more forceful – audible enough that any player in the stadium corridors could hear him – and he expressed visible fury while urging the dressing room to respond. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that each individual has to be accountable.” Asked whether this is occurring, he answered: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I expect the boys to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we must act if we aim to recover of this.”

Summer Signings and Team Problems

The Merseyside club invested almost £450 million to strengthen a championship-winning team in the summer but have gone backwards, with several high-profile signings struggling to contribute so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s issues extend past the new recruits. “It's difficult for all involved,” he said. “What I want is for each player to take responsibility on the pitch. We have to do that in order to motivate one another, to improve collectively. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the press. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

The Dutchman added: “This season we don’t have 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 reverse the situation 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 have to stick together and avoid blaming others.

“You have to be a man 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 view, because this club has been going through numerous challenges over recent seasons and we’ve consistently emerged of it. But it doesn’t mean it is easy, it’s tiring but there is no other way.”

Looking Ahead

Next up in the domestic league is a visit to London Stadium next weekend, after the midweek visit of PSV in the Champions League. He commented: “The next game is another game so what am I going to do, go home and cry? Certainly not, I'll return and analyze how we can turn this around and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”