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The Liverpool skipper has issued a blunt assessment of Liverpool's disappointing title defence, confessing the title holders are in a mess and letting down manager Arne Slot while questioning whether all squad members is taking responsibility for the current downturn.

Van Dijk struggled to hold back his anger after Saturday’s heavy loss at Anfield by Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the lower section of the top-flight standings with a deficit in goals. The club's chair was in attendance to observe Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven league games, their eighth loss in 11 matches across all competitions, and a performance that unravelled against a opponent 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 “not good enough” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as the Forest player gave the visitors the advantage. The first goal was the ninth concession Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the Premier League this season.

“We had a great three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are dealing with reality and the facts are we gave away a set piece in the first half and a poor concession at the start of the second half,” said the defender. “We are certainly failing the manager, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. Start with self-reflection and then you help each other, you help each other get out of this mess because at the present time it is a mess – that's the reality.

Captain’s Challenge: Take Responsibility

The skipper usually speaks the press after a match as part of his duties as team leader. Saturday was different, however. His voice was much louder – so loud that any teammate in the stadium corridors could hear him – and he shook with anger while urging the dressing room to react. “You should be angry,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that each individual has to be accountable.” When questioned whether this is occurring, he replied: “It's unclear. But it's essential. It’s the main thing I want the boys to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we have to do it if we aim to recover of this.”

Summer Signings and Broader Issues

Liverpool invested almost £450 million to replenish a championship-winning team in the summer 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 difficult for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for each player to take responsibility on the pitch. We have to do that in order to motivate one another, to improve collectively. When someone is pressing, you have to follow the press. These are fundamentals but it’s not happening enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

The Dutchman continued: “This season we lack any consistency, we allow excessive scores, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I hope everyone sees that. We have to take responsibility to reverse the situation and tempting to point fingers but you have to do it together. Past successes were collective and won the league and all contributed, and when you go through a tough time you have to stick together and not point fingers.

“Show character and confront the hardship and go again, again and again because if you want to give up then you are in the wrong environment in my view, because Liverpool has been going through numerous challenges over those years and we’ve always come out of it. But it doesn’t mean it is straightforward, it’s tiring but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

Next up in the domestic league is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the Champions League fixture of the Dutch side in the Champions League. He commented: “Wednesday is another opportunity so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I’m going to go home and analyze how we can turn this around and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”