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Virgil van Dijk has issued a scathing assessment of the club's woeful title defence, confessing the reigning champions are in a mess and failing head coach Slot while questioning whether all squad members is owning up for the team’s slump.

The Dutch defender struggled to hold back his anger 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 present at Anfield to witness Liverpool’s latest loss in seven league games, their eighth loss in eleven fixtures across every tournament, and a performance that fell apart against a opponent that started the day in the relegation zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Defensive Lapses

Van Dijk labeled Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “unacceptable” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as Murillo gave the visitors the advantage. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the current campaign.

“We had a great build-up to the match but in a fixture you are facing reality and the truth is we conceded a set piece in the first half and a terrible goal at the start of the second half,” stated Van Dijk. “We are definitely failing the manager, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. Start with self-reflection and then you support teammates, you work together to escape of this crisis because at the present time it is a mess – that's the reality.

Captain’s Challenge: Take Responsibility

Van Dijk usually speaks the press after a match as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. This time was distinct, however. His voice was much louder – audible enough that any player in the stadium corridors could listen in – and he expressed visible fury while challenging the squad to react. “You should be angry,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that each individual has to take responsibility.” When questioned whether this is occurring, he replied: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I expect the players to do. It's challenging during difficult times but we have to do it if we aim to recover of this.”

Summer Signings and Team Problems

The Merseyside club invested almost £450 million to strengthen a title-winning squad in the off-season but have gone backwards, 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 all involved,” he said. “What I want is for everyone to be answerable on the pitch. We have to do that in order to push each other, to improve collectively. When someone is pressing, you have to follow the press. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Call for Unity

Van Dijk continued: “This season we don’t have any steady form, we allow excessive scores, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I trust this is recognized. It's vital to accept duty to turn this around and tempting 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 during a challenging phase you have to stick together and not point fingers.

“You have to be a man and face the toughness and persist, again and again because surrendering is not an option then you are at the wrong place in my eyes, because Liverpool has been going through many adversity over those years and we’ve consistently emerged of it. However, that doesn't imply it is easy, it’s tiring but there is no other way.”

Looking Ahead

Next up in the domestic league is a visit to London Stadium next weekend, after the midweek visit of the Dutch side in the Champions League. Van Dijk said: “Wednesday is another game so what am I going to do, go home and cry? No, I’m going to go home and analyze how we can improve results and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”