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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a scathing assessment of the club's woeful title defence, admitting the title holders are in disarray and failing manager Arne Slot while questioning whether every player is owning up for the current downturn.

Van Dijk struggled to hold back his anger after Saturday’s heavy loss at Anfield by Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the lower section of the Premier League table with a deficit in goals. Tom Werner was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s latest loss in seven league games, their eighth setback in 11 matches across every tournament, and a performance that unravelled against a opponent that started the day in the relegation zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Set-Piece Woes

The captain described Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “unacceptable” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as the Forest player gave Sean Dyche’s team the advantage. The first goal was the ninth concession Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the Premier League this season.

“There was a productive build-up to the match but in a fixture you are facing reality and the facts are we conceded a set piece in the opening period and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” said the defender. “We are definitely failing the manager, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. You look at yourself first and then you help each other, you work together to escape of this crisis because at the present time it is a mess – that’s just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Take Responsibility

Van Dijk usually speaks the press after a game as part of his role as Liverpool captain. This time was distinct, however. His voice was more forceful – audible enough that any player in the Anfield tunnel could hear him – and he expressed visible fury while challenging the dressing room to respond. “Anger is justified,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” Asked whether that is happening, he answered: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. That's crucial I want the boys to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we have to do it if we aim to recover of this.”

Squad Investment and Broader Issues

Liverpool invested almost £450 million to strengthen a title-winning squad in the summer but have regressed, with new arrivals struggling to contribute so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s problems extend past the recent additions. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for each player to be answerable on the field. We have to do that in order to push each other, to improve collectively. When someone is pressing, you have to follow the effort. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Call for Unity

The Dutchman added: “In the current term we don’t have any consistency, we concede far too many goals, we are losing battles and all share the blame for it and I trust this is recognized. It's vital to take responsibility 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 tough time you have to stick together and not point fingers.

“Show character and confront the hardship and go again, again and again because surrendering is not an option then you are in the wrong environment in my view, because this club has been enduring numerous challenges over recent seasons and we’ve consistently emerged of it. However, that doesn't imply it is easy, it’s tiring but there is no other way.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the domestic league is a visit to London Stadium next Sunday, after the midweek visit of the Dutch side in the Champions League. He said: “The next game is another opportunity so how should I respond, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I'll go home and try to think how we can improve results and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”