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Virgil van Dijk has issued a scathing evaluation of the club's woeful title defence, confessing the reigning champions are in disarray and letting down manager Arne Slot while questioning whether every player is owning up for the team’s slump.

Van Dijk struggled to hold back his frustration after the weekend's 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham 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 observe Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven league games, their eighth setback in 11 matches across all competitions, and a display that fell apart against a Forest side that began the match in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Defensive Lapses

The captain described Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “not good enough” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as Murillo gave Sean Dyche’s team the advantage. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the Premier League this season.

“We had a productive build-up to the match but in a fixture you are facing reality and the truth is we conceded a free-kick in the opening period and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” said the defender. “As a team, we're definitely letting him down, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. You look at yourself first 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.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Step Up

The skipper usually speaks the media after a match as part of his role as team leader. This time was distinct, however. He spoke was much louder – so loud that any player in the Anfield tunnel could listen in – and he shook with anger while urging the dressing room to react. “Anger is justified,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” Asked whether that is happening, Van Dijk replied: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I want the players to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we have to do it if we want to get out of this.”

Squad Investment and Broader Issues

Liverpool invested almost £450m to strengthen a title-winning squad in the summer but have regressed, with new arrivals failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk maintained that Liverpool’s issues go beyond the recent additions. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for everyone to take responsibility on the field. This is necessary in order to push each other, to make each other better. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the effort. These are fundamentals but it’s not happening enough.”

Call for Unity

Van Dijk added: “In the current term we lack any steady form, we concede far too many goals, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I hope everyone sees that. We have to take responsibility to reverse the situation 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 when you go through a challenging phase you must remain united and avoid blaming others.

“You have to be a man and confront the hardship and go again, 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 many adversity over recent seasons and we’ve consistently emerged of it. However, that doesn't imply it is straightforward, it’s exhausting but there is no other way.”

Looking Ahead

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the midweek visit of the Dutch side in the European competition. He commented: “Wednesday is another opportunity so what am I going to do, go home and cry? Certainly not, I'll go home and analyze how we can turn this around and hopefully that is the collective focus as well.”