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The Liverpool skipper has issued a scathing evaluation of Liverpool's woeful championship campaign, admitting the title holders are in a mess and failing head coach Slot while questioning whether every player is owning up for the current downturn.

The Dutch defender could not contain his frustration after Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by 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 witness Liverpool’s latest loss in recent outings, their eighth setback in eleven fixtures across all competitions, and a performance that unravelled against a Forest side that began the match in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Defensive Lapses

Van Dijk described Liverpool’s start to the second half as “not good enough” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as Murillo gave Sean Dyche’s team the lead. The first goal was the ninth concession Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the Premier League this season.

“There was a great build-up to the match but in a game you are facing reality and the facts are we conceded a free-kick in the opening period and a poor concession at the beginning after the break,” stated Van Dijk. “We are certainly failing the manager, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. You look at yourself first and then you support teammates, you work together to escape of this mess because at the present time it is a difficult situation – that’s just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Step Up

The skipper typically addresses the media after a game as part of his role as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was much louder – so loud that any player in the stadium corridors could listen in – and he expressed visible fury while urging the dressing room to react. “You should be angry,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” When questioned whether this is occurring, he answered: “I don’t know. But it's essential. It’s the main thing I want the players to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we must act if we aim to recover of this.”

Summer Signings and Broader Issues

Liverpool spent almost £450m to replenish a title-winning squad in the off-season but have regressed, with new arrivals failing to make an impact so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s issues extend past the recent additions. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for everyone to take responsibility on the field. This is necessary in order to push each other, to make each other better. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the effort. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Call for Unity

The Dutchman continued: “In the current term we don’t have any consistency, we allow far too many goals, we are being out-fought and all share the blame for it and I trust everyone sees that. We have to take responsibility to turn this around and it is easy to assign blame but unity is essential. We have been through it together and won the league and everyone was part of it, and during a tough time you have to stick together and avoid blaming others.

“Show character and face the toughness and persist, repeatedly because if you want to give up 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 easy, it’s tiring but there is only one path forward.”

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? No, I'll go home and analyze how we can turn this around and I trust that is what everyone is doing as well.”