🔗 Share this article

The Liverpool skipper has issued a scathing evaluation of the club's woeful title defence, confessing the reigning champions are in a mess and failing manager Arne Slot while doubting whether all squad members is owning up for the team’s slump.

The Dutch defender 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 top-flight standings with a negative goal difference. The club's chair was in attendance to observe Liverpool’s latest loss in seven league games, their eighth loss in eleven fixtures across all competitions, and a display that fell apart against a Forest side that began the match in the drop zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Defensive Lapses

Van Dijk labeled Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “unacceptable” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as the Forest player gave Sean Dyche’s team the lead. The first goal was the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the current campaign.

“There was a productive build-up to the match but in a game you are facing facts and the facts are we gave away a free-kick in the opening period and a poor concession at the beginning after the break,” said the defender. “As a team, we're definitely failing the manager, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. Start with self-reflection and then you support teammates, you work together to escape of this crisis because at the present time it is a difficult situation – that's the reality.

Captain’s Challenge: Take Responsibility

The skipper typically addresses the press after a match as part of his duties as team leader. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was much louder – 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: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I expect the boys to do. It’s not easy during tough periods but we have to do it if we aim to recover of this.”

Squad Investment and Broader Issues

The Merseyside club invested almost £450m to replenish a title-winning squad in the summer but have gone backwards, with new arrivals struggling to contribute so far. Van Dijk insisted that Liverpool’s issues extend past the recent additions. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for each player to take responsibility on the field. We have to do that in order to motivate one another, to make each other better. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the effort. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

The Dutchman continued: “In the current term we don’t have any steady form, we concede excessive scores, we are losing battles and all share the blame for it and I hope this is recognized. It's vital to take responsibility 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 during a challenging phase 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 in the wrong environment in my view, because this club has been going through numerous challenges over those years 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.”

Looking Ahead

The upcoming match in the domestic league is a visit to London Stadium next Sunday, after the midweek visit of PSV in the European competition. Van Dijk commented: “The next game is another game so how should I respond, go home and cry? No, I'll return and analyze how we can turn this around and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”