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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a blunt evaluation of Liverpool's woeful title defence, confessing the title holders are in a mess and letting down head coach Slot while questioning whether every player is taking responsibility for the current downturn.

The Dutch defender could not contain his frustration after the weekend's heavy loss at Anfield by Nottingham Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the bottom half of the top-flight standings with a deficit in goals. Tom Werner was present at Anfield to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth setback in 11 matches across every tournament, and a performance that fell apart against a Forest side that started the day in the relegation zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Defensive Lapses

The captain labeled Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “not good enough” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as the Forest player gave Sean Dyche’s team the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth concession Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the Premier League this season.

“We had a productive three or four days’ preparation but in a game you are dealing with facts and the facts are we gave away a free-kick in the first half and a poor concession at the start of the second half,” said Van Dijk. “We are certainly letting him down, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. You look at yourself first and then you help each other, you work together to escape of this mess because at the moment it is a mess – that’s just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Step Up

Van Dijk usually speaks the press after a match as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. His voice was much louder – audible enough that any teammate in the stadium corridors could hear him – and he shook with anger while urging the dressing room to respond. “You should be angry,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that each individual has to take responsibility.” Asked whether that is happening, Van Dijk replied: “I don’t know. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I want the players to do. It’s not easy during tough periods but we must act if we want to get out of this.”

Squad Investment and Broader Issues

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 struggling to contribute so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s issues go beyond the new recruits. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for each player to be answerable on the pitch. This is necessary in order to push each other, to make each other better. If a teammate presses, you must join the press. It’s basic things but it’s not happening enough.”

Call for Unity

The Dutchman continued: “This season we lack any steady form, we concede excessive scores, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I trust everyone sees that. It's vital to accept duty to reverse the situation and it is easy to assign blame but you have to do it together. 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 not point fingers.

“You have to be a man and face the toughness and go again, repeatedly because if you want to give up then you are in the wrong environment in my view, because Liverpool has been going through many adversity over recent seasons 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.”

Next Fixtures

Next up in the domestic league is a visit to London Stadium next Sunday, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the Champions League. Van Dijk commented: “The next game is another opportunity so what am I going to do, go home and cry? No, I’m going to return and analyze how we can improve results and I trust that is what everyone is doing as well.”