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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a scathing assessment of the club's disappointing title defence, admitting the reigning champions are in a mess and letting down head coach Slot while questioning whether every player is owning up for the current downturn.

Van Dijk could not contain his anger after the weekend's 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a deficit in goals. Tom Werner was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven league games, their eighth loss in 11 matches across every tournament, and a performance that unravelled against a opponent that started the day in the drop zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Set-Piece Woes

Van Dijk labeled Liverpool’s start to the second half as “unacceptable” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as Murillo gave the visitors the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the current campaign.

“We had a great build-up to the match but in a game you are dealing with reality and the facts are we conceded a free-kick in the opening period and a poor concession at the start of the second half,” said Van Dijk. “We are definitely letting him down, 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 crisis because at the present time it is a difficult situation – that's the reality.

Captain’s Challenge: Take Responsibility

Van Dijk usually speaks the press after a game as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was much louder – so loud that any player in the stadium corridors could hear him – and he shook with anger while challenging the dressing room to react. “You should be angry,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that everyone has to take responsibility.” Asked whether this is occurring, Van Dijk replied: “I don’t know. But you have to do that. That's crucial I want the players to do. It’s not easy during tough periods but we have to do it if we aim to recover of this.”

Squad Investment and Broader Issues

Liverpool spent almost £450 million to strengthen a title-winning squad in the off-season but have regressed, with new arrivals failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk maintained that Liverpool’s issues extend past the new recruits. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for each player to be answerable on the field. We have to do that in order to push each other, to improve collectively. When someone is pressing, you must join the effort. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

The Dutchman added: “In the current term we lack any steady form, we allow far too many goals, we are losing battles and all share the blame for it and I trust everyone sees that. It's vital to take responsibility to reverse the situation and tempting 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 when you go through a challenging phase you must remain united and avoid blaming others.

“You have to be a man and face the toughness and go again, repeatedly because if you want to give up then you are at the wrong place in my view, because Liverpool has been enduring numerous challenges over recent seasons and we’ve always come out of it. But it doesn’t mean it is easy, it’s tiring but there is no other way.”

Next Fixtures

Next up in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the midweek visit of PSV in the Champions League. He said: “The next game is another opportunity so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? No, I’m going to return and try to think how we can improve results and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”