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The Liverpool skipper has issued a scathing evaluation of Liverpool's disappointing title defence, admitting the reigning champions are in a mess and failing head coach Slot while doubting whether every player is owning up for the current downturn.

Van Dijk struggled to hold back his frustration after Saturday’s heavy loss at Anfield by Nottingham Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the lower section of the Premier League table with a deficit in goals. Tom Werner was present at Anfield to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth loss in 11 matches across every tournament, and a display that unravelled against a Forest side 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 Murillo gave the visitors the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth concession Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the current campaign.

“There was a productive build-up to the match but in a fixture you are dealing with facts and the facts are we gave away a free-kick in the opening period and a terrible goal at the start of the second half,” said Van Dijk. “As a team, we're certainly 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 mess because at the moment it is a difficult situation – that's the reality.

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. He spoke was much louder – audible enough that any teammate in the Anfield tunnel could listen in – and he shook with anger while urging the dressing room to respond. “Anger is justified,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that each individual has to take responsibility.” When questioned whether that is happening, Van Dijk replied: “I don’t know. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I expect 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 spent almost £450m to replenish a championship-winning team in the summer but have gone backwards, with new arrivals struggling to contribute so far. Van Dijk maintained that Liverpool’s problems go beyond the new recruits. “It's difficult for all involved,” 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 make each other better. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the effort. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

Van Dijk added: “This season we lack any consistency, we concede excessive scores, we are being out-fought and all share the blame for it and I hope everyone sees that. It's vital to take responsibility to turn this around and it is easy to point fingers but unity is essential. Past successes were collective and won the league and everyone was part of it, and during a tough time you must remain united and not point fingers.

“You have to be a man and confront the hardship and persist, again and again because if you want to give up then you are in the wrong environment in my eyes, because Liverpool has been enduring many adversity over recent seasons and we’ve consistently emerged of it. However, that doesn't imply it is straightforward, it’s tiring but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a visit to London Stadium next Sunday, after the midweek visit of the Dutch side in the European competition. He commented: “Wednesday is another game so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I’m going to go home and analyze how we can improve results and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”