🔗 Share this article

The Liverpool skipper has delivered a scathing evaluation of the club's woeful title defence, confessing the reigning champions are in disarray and letting down head coach Slot while doubting whether all squad members is taking responsibility for the current downturn.

The Dutch defender could not contain his frustration after the weekend's 3-0 home defeat by Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the lower section of the Premier League table with a deficit in goals. The club's chair was present at Anfield to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth setback in 11 matches across every tournament, and a display that fell apart against a Forest side that began the match in the drop zone.

Poor Second Half and Set-Piece Woes

The captain described Liverpool’s start to the second half as “unacceptable” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as Murillo gave the visitors the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the current campaign.

“We had a great build-up to the match but in a fixture you are facing reality and the truth is we gave away a free-kick in the opening period and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” said Van Dijk. “We are certainly letting him down, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. Start with self-reflection and then you help each other, you work together to escape of this crisis because at the moment it is a difficult situation – 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. He spoke was more forceful – so loud that any teammate in the Anfield tunnel could listen in – and he expressed visible fury while challenging the squad to react. “You should be angry,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that everyone has to take responsibility.” Asked whether that is happening, he replied: “I don’t know. But it's essential. That's crucial I expect the players to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we have to do it if we want to get out of this.”

Squad Investment and Broader Issues

Liverpool invested almost £450m to replenish a championship-winning team in the summer but have regressed, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk insisted that Liverpool’s problems extend past the new recruits. “It’s tough for all involved,” he said. “What I want is for everyone 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 have to follow the press. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

Van Dijk added: “This season we lack any consistency, we concede far too many goals, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I hope everyone sees that. We have 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 everyone was part of it, and when you go through a challenging phase you have to stick together and not point fingers.

“Show character and face the toughness and persist, again and again because if you want to give up then you are in the wrong environment in my eyes, because this club has been going through many adversity over those years and we’ve always come out of it. However, that doesn't imply it is straightforward, it’s exhausting but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

Next up in the domestic league is a visit to London Stadium next Sunday, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the European competition. He said: “The next game is another opportunity so how should I respond, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I’m going to go home and try to think how we can improve results and hopefully that is the collective focus as well.”