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The Liverpool skipper has issued a blunt assessment of Liverpool's woeful championship campaign, admitting the title holders are in a mess and failing manager Arne Slot while doubting whether every player is taking responsibility for the current downturn.

The Dutch defender struggled to hold back his anger after the weekend's 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the lower section of the Premier League table with a deficit in goals. The club's chair was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth setback in eleven fixtures across all competitions, and a display that unravelled against a Forest side that started the day in the drop 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. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the Premier League this season.

“There was a great three or four days’ preparation but in a game you are facing reality and the facts are we conceded a free-kick in the opening period and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” said Van Dijk. “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 work together to escape of this mess because at the moment it is a difficult situation – that's the reality.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Take Responsibility

Van Dijk usually speaks the media after a match as part of his role as team leader. Saturday was different, however. His voice was more forceful – audible enough that any player in the stadium corridors could hear him – and he expressed visible fury while challenging the dressing room to react. “Anger is justified,” he emphasized. “The main thing for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” When questioned whether that is happening, he answered: “I don’t know. But it's essential. It’s the main thing I expect the boys to do. It’s not easy during difficult times but we have to do it if we want to get out of this.”

Summer Signings and Team Problems

Liverpool invested almost £450m to strengthen a title-winning squad in the off-season but have regressed, with several high-profile signings struggling to contribute so far. The captain maintained that Liverpool’s issues extend past the recent additions. “It’s tough for everyone,” 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 improve collectively. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the effort. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

The Dutchman added: “In the current term we don’t have any steady form, we concede excessive scores, we are losing battles and all share the blame for it and I hope this is recognized. We have to accept duty to turn this around and it is easy to assign blame 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 must remain united and not point fingers.

“Show character and confront the hardship and persist, repeatedly because if you want to give up then you are at the wrong place in my view, because Liverpool has been enduring many adversity over those years and we’ve consistently emerged of it. However, that doesn't imply it is easy, it’s exhausting but there is no other way.”

Next Fixtures

Next up in the domestic league is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the midweek visit of the Dutch side in the European competition. Van Dijk said: “Wednesday is another opportunity so how should I respond, dwell on the loss? No, I'll return and try to think how we can improve results and hopefully that is the collective focus as well.”