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The Liverpool skipper has delivered a scathing assessment of the club's woeful title defence, confessing the title holders are in a mess and letting down head coach Slot while doubting whether every player is taking responsibility for the current downturn.

The Dutch defender struggled to hold back his anger after Saturday’s heavy loss at Anfield by Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a deficit in goals. Tom Werner was present at Anfield to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven league games, their eighth loss in eleven fixtures across all competitions, and a performance that fell apart against a Forest side that began the match in the drop zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Defensive Lapses

Van Dijk described Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “unacceptable” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as the Forest player gave Sean Dyche’s team the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the Premier League this season.

“There was a productive three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are facing facts and the facts are we gave away a set piece in the opening period and a poor concession at the start of the second half,” stated the defender. “We are definitely failing the manager, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. Start with self-reflection and then you support teammates, you work together to escape of this crisis because at the present time it is a mess – that’s just a fact.

Captain’s Challenge: Step Up

The skipper usually speaks the press after a game as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. His voice was more forceful – audible enough that any teammate in the Anfield tunnel could hear him – and he expressed visible fury while challenging the squad to respond. “Anger is justified,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that each individual has to be accountable.” When questioned whether this is occurring, Van Dijk answered: “I don’t know. But it's essential. That's crucial I expect the boys 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 Team Problems

The Merseyside club invested almost £450m to strengthen a championship-winning team in the off-season but have gone backwards, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s problems go beyond the new recruits. “It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for everyone to be answerable on the field. This is necessary in order to motivate one another, to improve collectively. When someone is pressing, you must join the effort. These are fundamentals but it’s not happening enough.”

Call for Unity

Van Dijk continued: “In the current term we don’t have any consistency, we concede excessive scores, we are losing battles and all share the blame for it and I hope everyone sees that. It's vital to accept duty to reverse the situation and tempting to point fingers but unity is essential. Past successes were collective and claimed the title and all contributed, and during a challenging phase you have to stick together and avoid blaming others.

“Show character and face the toughness and persist, again and again because surrendering is not an option then you are in the wrong environment in my eyes, because Liverpool has been enduring many adversity over those years and we’ve always come out of it. But it doesn’t mean it is easy, it’s exhausting but there is only one path forward.”

Looking Ahead

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the Champions League fixture of the Dutch side in the Champions League. Van Dijk said: “Wednesday is another game so how should I respond, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I’m going to return and try to think how we can improve results and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”