🔗 Share this article

Virgil van Dijk has delivered a scathing assessment of the club's disappointing title defence, confessing the title holders are in disarray 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 the weekend's heavy loss at Anfield by Nottingham Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the lower section of the top-flight standings with a deficit in goals. The club's chair was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth loss in 11 matches across all competitions, and a performance that unravelled against a opponent that started the day in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Set-Piece Woes

Van Dijk labeled Liverpool’s start to the second half 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 goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece 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 first half and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” said the defender. “As a team, we're certainly failing the manager, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. You look at yourself first and then you help each other, you help each other get out of this mess because at the present time it is a difficult situation – that’s just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Take Responsibility

The skipper usually speaks the media after a match as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was much louder – so loud that any teammate in the Anfield tunnel could listen in – and he shook with anger while urging the squad to respond. “You should be angry,” he emphasized. “The main thing for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” When questioned whether that is happening, Van Dijk replied: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. That's crucial 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 off-season but have regressed, with several high-profile signings struggling to contribute so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s problems extend past the new recruits. “It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for everyone to take responsibility on the field. This is necessary in order to motivate one another, to improve collectively. When someone is pressing, you have to follow the press. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

The Dutchman continued: “In the current term we lack any steady form, we concede excessive scores, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I trust everyone sees that. We have to accept duty to turn this around and it is easy to point fingers but you have to do it together. Past successes were collective and claimed the title and everyone was part of it, and during a challenging phase you have to stick together and avoid blaming others.

“You have to be a man and face the toughness and go again, again and again because if you want to give up then you are in the wrong environment in my eyes, because Liverpool has been enduring numerous challenges over recent seasons and we’ve consistently emerged of it. But it doesn’t mean it is easy, it’s tiring but there is only one path forward.”

Looking Ahead

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the European competition. He said: “The next game is another opportunity so what am I going to do, go home and cry? No, I’m going to go home and try to think how we can turn this around and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”