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The Liverpool skipper has delivered a blunt assessment of the club's woeful championship campaign, admitting the reigning champions are in a mess and failing manager Arne Slot while questioning whether every player is owning up for the current downturn.

Van Dijk struggled to hold back his frustration after Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a deficit in goals. The club's chair was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven league games, their eighth loss in 11 matches across all competitions, and a performance that unravelled against a Forest side that started the day in the relegation zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Set-Piece Woes

Van Dijk labeled Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “not good enough” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as the Forest player 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 three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are dealing with reality and the truth is we gave away a set piece in the first half and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” stated the defender. “We are definitely 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 difficult situation – that's the reality.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Take Responsibility

The skipper usually speaks the press after a match as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. This time was distinct, however. He spoke was more forceful – audible enough that any player in the stadium corridors could listen in – and he expressed visible fury while urging the dressing room to react. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” Asked whether that is happening, Van Dijk answered: “I don’t know. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I want the boys to do. It’s not easy during difficult times but we must act if we want to get out of this.”

Squad Investment and Broader Issues

The Merseyside club invested almost £450 million to replenish a title-winning squad in the summer but have gone backwards, with several high-profile signings struggling to contribute so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s problems go beyond the recent additions. “It's difficult for all involved,” he said. “What I want is for each player to take responsibility on the field. This is necessary in order to motivate one another, to make each other better. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the effort. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Call for Unity

The Dutchman continued: “This season we lack any consistency, we concede far too many goals, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I trust everyone sees that. It's vital to take responsibility to reverse the situation and it is easy to assign blame but unity is essential. We have been through it together and won the league and all contributed, and when you go through a tough time you must remain united and avoid blaming others.

“You have to be a man and face the toughness and persist, repeatedly because if you want to give up then you are at the wrong place in my eyes, because this club has been going through many adversity over recent seasons and we’ve consistently emerged of it. But it doesn’t mean it is straightforward, it’s tiring but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the midweek visit 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? Certainly not, I’m going to go home and try to think how we can turn this around and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”