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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a blunt evaluation of Liverpool's woeful title defence, admitting the reigning champions are in a mess and failing manager Arne Slot while questioning whether all squad members is owning up for the team’s slump.

Van Dijk could not contain his frustration after Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a negative goal difference. The club's chair was present at Anfield to observe Liverpool’s sixth defeat 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 drop zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Defensive Lapses

The captain described 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 concession Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the current campaign.

“There was a productive three or four days’ preparation but in a game you are dealing with reality and the truth is we gave away a free-kick in the first half and a poor concession at the beginning after the break,” said the defender. “We are definitely letting him down, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. You look at yourself first and then you support teammates, you work together to escape of this crisis because at the present time it is a difficult situation – that's the reality.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Take Responsibility

Van Dijk typically addresses the press after a match as part of his duties as team leader. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was much louder – audible enough that any player in the stadium corridors could listen in – and he shook with anger while urging the squad to react. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” When questioned whether this is occurring, he replied: “It's unclear. But it's essential. That's crucial I want the players to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we have to do it if we aim to recover of this.”

Squad Investment and Team Problems

The Merseyside club invested almost £450 million to strengthen 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 extend past the new recruits. “It’s tough for all involved,” he said. “What I want is for each player to take responsibility on the field. We have to do that in order to motivate one another, to make each other better. If a teammate presses, you must join the effort. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

The Dutchman added: “This season we don’t have any consistency, we allow excessive scores, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I hope everyone sees that. It's vital to accept duty to turn this around and it is easy to assign blame but unity is essential. We have been through it together and claimed the title and everyone was part of it, and when you go through a challenging phase you must remain united and not point fingers.

“You have to be a man and confront the hardship 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 recent seasons and we’ve consistently emerged of it. But it doesn’t mean it is easy, it’s exhausting but there is no other way.”

Looking Ahead

The upcoming match in the domestic league is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the midweek visit of the Dutch side in the European competition. He said: “Wednesday is another opportunity so how should I respond, dwell on the loss? No, I'll return and try to think how we can improve results and hopefully that is the collective focus as well.”