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

Van Dijk struggled to hold back his anger after the weekend's 3-0 home defeat 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 latest loss in recent outings, their eighth loss in eleven fixtures across every tournament, and a display that unravelled against a Forest side that started the day in the relegation zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Set-Piece Woes

Van Dijk labeled Liverpool’s start to the second half as “not good enough” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as the Forest player gave the visitors the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth concession Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the current campaign.

“We had a great three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are facing reality and the truth is we conceded a set piece in the opening period and a poor concession at the beginning after the break,” said the defender. “We are definitely failing the manager, 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 moment it is a mess – that’s just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Step Up

The skipper usually speaks the media after a game as part of his role as team leader. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was more forceful – audible enough that any player in the Anfield tunnel could listen in – and he shook with anger while urging the squad to react. “Anger is justified,” he emphasized. “The main thing for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” Asked whether this is occurring, Van Dijk answered: “It's unclear. But it's essential. It’s the main thing I want the boys to do. It’s not easy during difficult times but we must act if we want to get out of this.”

Squad Investment and Team Problems

Liverpool 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. Van Dijk maintained that Liverpool’s problems go beyond the recent additions. “It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for everyone to take responsibility on the pitch. This is necessary in order to motivate one another, to make each other better. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the press. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Call for Unity

Van Dijk continued: “This season we don’t have any steady form, we allow far too many goals, we are losing battles and all share the blame for it and I hope everyone sees that. We have to accept duty to reverse the situation and tempting to assign blame but unity is essential. Past successes were collective and claimed the title and all contributed, 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 surrendering is not an option then you are in the wrong environment in my eyes, because this club has been enduring many adversity over recent seasons and we’ve consistently emerged 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 domestic league is a visit to London Stadium next weekend, after the midweek visit of the Dutch side in the European competition. He said: “Wednesday is another opportunity so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? No, I’m going to return and analyze how we can improve results and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”