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The Liverpool skipper has delivered a scathing assessment of Liverpool's woeful title defence, confessing the reigning champions are in disarray and failing head coach Slot while questioning whether every player is taking responsibility for the current downturn.

Van Dijk could not contain his anger after Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the lower section of the Premier League table with a negative goal difference. Tom Werner was in attendance to observe Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth loss in eleven fixtures across all competitions, and a performance that fell apart against a Forest side that started the day in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Defensive Lapses

Van Dijk described Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “unacceptable” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as the Forest player gave Sean Dyche’s team the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth concession Liverpool have conceded from a set piece 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 gave away a free-kick in the first half and a poor concession at the beginning after the break,” stated the defender. “We are definitely letting him down, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. You look at yourself first and then you support teammates, you work together to escape of this mess because at the present time it is a mess – that’s just a fact.

Captain’s Challenge: Take Responsibility

The skipper typically addresses the press 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 urging the squad to react. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that everyone has to take responsibility.” When questioned whether that is happening, he replied: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. 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.”

Squad Investment and Team Problems

Liverpool spent almost £450 million to replenish a title-winning squad in the summer but have regressed, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s problems extend past the recent additions. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for each player to take responsibility on the field. We have to do that in order to motivate one another, to improve collectively. When someone is pressing, you must join the press. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

Van Dijk continued: “This season we don’t have any steady form, we concede far too many goals, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I hope this is recognized. It's vital to accept duty to reverse the situation and tempting 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 avoid blaming others.

“You have to be a man and confront the hardship and persist, repeatedly because surrendering is not an option then you are in the wrong environment in my eyes, because this club has been enduring many adversity over those years 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

The upcoming match in the domestic league is a visit to London Stadium next Sunday, after the Champions League fixture of the Dutch side in the Champions League. He commented: “Wednesday is another game so what am I going to do, go home and cry? Certainly not, I'll return and analyze how we can improve results and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”