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The Liverpool skipper has issued a scathing evaluation of the club's woeful title defence, admitting the reigning champions are in a mess and failing head coach Slot while questioning whether all squad members is owning up for the current downturn.

Van Dijk could not contain his frustration after the weekend's heavy loss at Anfield 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 in attendance to observe Liverpool’s latest loss in recent outings, their eighth setback in eleven fixtures across every tournament, and a performance that unravelled against a Forest side that started the day in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Set-Piece Woes

Van Dijk described Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “unacceptable” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as Murillo gave the visitors the advantage. The first goal was the ninth concession Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the current campaign.

“There was a great build-up to the match but in a game you are dealing with reality and the facts are we gave away a set piece in the opening period and a poor concession at the start of the second half,” said the defender. “We are 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 crisis because at the present time it is a difficult situation – that’s just a fact.

Captain’s Challenge: Take Responsibility

Van Dijk typically addresses the media after a match as part of his role as team leader. Saturday was different, however. His voice was much louder – so loud that any teammate in the stadium corridors could hear him – and he shook with anger while challenging the squad to respond. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that each individual has to be accountable.” Asked whether that is happening, he replied: “I don’t know. But it's essential. It’s the main thing I expect the players to do. It's challenging during difficult times but we must act if we aim to recover of this.”

Summer Signings and Team Problems

The Merseyside club invested almost £450m to strengthen a championship-winning team in the summer but have gone backwards, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk insisted that Liverpool’s problems go beyond the new recruits. “It’s tough for all involved,” he said. “What I want is for each player to be answerable on the field. We have to do that in order to motivate one another, to make each other better. When someone is pressing, you have to follow the effort. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

The Dutchman added: “This season we lack any steady form, we allow far too many goals, we are losing battles and all share the blame for it and I trust everyone sees that. It's vital to take responsibility to reverse the situation and tempting to assign blame but unity is essential. We have been through it together and won the league and everyone was part of it, and when you go through a tough time you have to stick together and not point fingers.

“Show character and face the toughness and go again, 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 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 only one path forward.”

Looking Ahead

The upcoming match in the domestic league is a visit to London Stadium next weekend, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the European competition. He commented: “The next game is another opportunity so how should I respond, go home and cry? No, I’m going to return and analyze how we can turn this around and I trust that is what everyone is doing as well.”