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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a scathing assessment of the club's woeful championship campaign, admitting the reigning champions are in disarray and failing manager Arne Slot while doubting whether every player is taking responsibility for the current downturn.

Van Dijk struggled to hold back his frustration after the weekend's heavy loss at Anfield by Nottingham Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a negative goal difference. The club's chair was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s latest loss in recent outings, their eighth setback in eleven fixtures across all competitions, and a performance that fell apart against a opponent that started the day in the relegation zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Defensive Lapses

Van Dijk described Liverpool’s start to the second half as “unacceptable” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as Murillo gave Sean Dyche’s team the advantage. The first goal was the ninth concession Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the current campaign.

“We had a productive build-up to the match but in a fixture you are facing reality and the truth is we conceded a set piece in the first half and a poor concession at the start of the second half,” said Van Dijk. “We are certainly failing the manager, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. You look at yourself first and then you help each other, you work together to escape of this crisis because at the present time it is a mess – that’s just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Step Up

The skipper typically addresses the media after a match as part of his role as team leader. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was more forceful – so loud that any player in the stadium corridors could listen in – and he shook with anger while challenging the dressing room to react. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” Asked whether that is happening, Van Dijk answered: “It's unclear. But it's essential. It’s the main thing I want the players to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we have to do it if we aim to recover of this.”

Summer Signings and Team Problems

The Merseyside club invested almost £450 million to replenish a title-winning squad in the summer but have gone backwards, with several high-profile signings struggling to contribute so far. The captain maintained that Liverpool’s issues extend past the recent additions. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for everyone to be answerable on the field. This is necessary in order to push each other, 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

Van Dijk added: “This season we lack any steady form, we concede excessive scores, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I hope this is recognized. We have to accept duty to reverse the situation and it is easy to assign blame but unity is essential. We have been through it together and claimed the title and everyone was part of it, and when you go through a challenging phase you have to stick together and avoid blaming others.

“Show character and confront the hardship and go again, again and again because if you want to give up then you are at the wrong place in my eyes, because this club has been going through numerous challenges over recent seasons and we’ve consistently emerged of it. However, that doesn't imply it is easy, it’s tiring but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

Next up in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the Champions League fixture 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'll go home and try to think how we can turn this around and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”