🔗 Share this article

Virgil van Dijk has delivered a scathing assessment of Liverpool's woeful championship campaign, confessing the reigning champions are in disarray and failing manager Arne Slot while doubting whether all squad members is taking responsibility for the team’s slump.

The Dutch defender struggled to hold back his anger after the weekend's 3-0 home defeat by Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a deficit in goals. The club's chair was present at Anfield to observe Liverpool’s latest loss in seven league games, their eighth setback in 11 matches across all competitions, and a display that fell apart against a opponent that started the day 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 lead. The first goal was the ninth concession Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the current campaign.

“There was a productive three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are facing facts and the truth is we gave away a set piece in the opening period and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” said the defender. “We are certainly failing the manager, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. Start with self-reflection and then you help each other, you help each other get out of this crisis because at the moment it is a mess – that's the reality.

Captain’s Challenge: Take Responsibility

Van Dijk typically addresses the media after a match as part of his duties as team leader. Saturday was different, however. His voice was much louder – audible enough that any player in the Anfield tunnel could listen in – and he expressed visible fury while challenging the dressing room to respond. “You should be angry,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” When questioned whether that is happening, he answered: “I don’t know. But it's essential. That's crucial I want the players to do. It’s not easy during difficult times but we must act if we want to get out of this.”

Squad Investment and Broader Issues

Liverpool spent almost £450m to replenish a title-winning squad in the off-season but have regressed, with new arrivals struggling to contribute so far. The captain maintained that Liverpool’s issues go beyond the recent additions. “It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for each player to be answerable on the pitch. This is necessary in order to push each other, to improve collectively. When someone is pressing, you have to follow the effort. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Call for Unity

The Dutchman continued: “In the current term we don’t have any consistency, we allow excessive scores, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I trust this is recognized. It's vital to accept duty to reverse the situation and tempting to point fingers but unity is essential. We have been through it together and claimed the title and all contributed, and during a tough time you must remain united and avoid blaming others.

“Show character and face the toughness and persist, repeatedly because surrendering is not an option then you are at the wrong place in my view, because Liverpool has been going through many adversity over recent seasons and we’ve always come out of it. However, that doesn't imply it is easy, it’s exhausting but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the midweek visit of PSV in the Champions League. Van Dijk said: “The next game is another opportunity so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? No, I'll return and analyze how we can improve results and hopefully that is the collective focus as well.”