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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a blunt evaluation of Liverpool's disappointing title defence, confessing the reigning champions are in disarray and failing 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 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 witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven league games, their eighth setback in 11 matches across every tournament, and a performance that unravelled against a opponent that began the match in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Defensive Lapses

The captain labeled Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “unacceptable” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as Murillo gave the visitors the advantage. The first goal was the ninth concession Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the current campaign.

“There was a great three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are dealing with reality and the facts are we conceded a set piece in the first half and a poor concession at the beginning after the break,” stated the defender. “As a team, we're 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 mess – that’s just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Take Responsibility

Van Dijk typically addresses the media after a match as part of his role as Liverpool captain. This time was distinct, however. His voice was much louder – audible enough that any teammate in the stadium corridors could hear him – and he expressed visible fury while urging the dressing room to respond. “You should be angry,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that everyone has to take responsibility.” Asked whether this is occurring, he replied: “It's unclear. But it's essential. It’s the main thing I expect the players to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we must act if we aim to recover of this.”

Squad Investment and Team Problems

The Merseyside club invested almost £450m to replenish a title-winning squad in the summer but have regressed, with new arrivals failing to make an impact so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s issues extend past the new recruits. “It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for everyone to be answerable on the pitch. This is necessary in order to push each other, to make each other better. When someone is pressing, you have to follow the press. These are fundamentals but it’s not happening enough.”

Call for Unity

Van Dijk added: “This season we don’t have any steady form, we allow excessive scores, we are being out-fought and all share the blame for it and I hope everyone sees that. We have to take responsibility to reverse the situation and it is easy to assign blame but you have to do it together. We have been through it together and won the league and all contributed, and when you go through a challenging phase you must remain united and not point fingers.

“Show character and confront the hardship and persist, repeatedly because surrendering is not an option then you are in the wrong environment in my view, because Liverpool has been enduring 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

Next up in the domestic league is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the Champions League fixture of the Dutch side in the Champions League. Van Dijk said: “Wednesday is another game so how should I respond, go home and cry? Certainly not, I’m going to go home and analyze how we can turn this around and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”