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The Liverpool skipper has issued a scathing evaluation of Liverpool's woeful championship campaign, admitting the title holders are in a mess and letting down manager Arne Slot while questioning whether every player is owning up for the current downturn.

The Dutch defender struggled to hold back his anger after the weekend's heavy loss at Anfield by Nottingham Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the bottom half of the top-flight standings with a negative goal difference. The club's chair was present at Anfield to witness Liverpool’s latest loss in recent outings, their eighth setback in eleven fixtures across all competitions, and a performance that unravelled against a Forest side that began the match in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Defensive Lapses

The captain described Liverpool’s start to the second half as “not good enough” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as Murillo gave Sean Dyche’s team the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the Premier League this season.

“There was a productive build-up to the match but in a fixture you are dealing with facts and the truth is we conceded a set piece in the opening period and a terrible goal 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. You look at yourself first 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 just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Step Up

The skipper typically addresses the media after a game 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 challenging the squad to react. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” Asked whether this is occurring, Van Dijk answered: “It's unclear. But it's essential. That's crucial I want the players to do. It's challenging during difficult times but we must act if we aim to recover of this.”

Squad Investment and Team Problems

The Merseyside club invested almost £450m to replenish a championship-winning team 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 all involved,” he said. “What I want is for everyone to be answerable on the pitch. This is necessary in order to motivate one another, to make each other better. When someone is pressing, you must join the effort. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

The Dutchman added: “In the current term we don’t have any steady form, we allow excessive scores, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I hope this is recognized. We have to take responsibility to turn this around and it is easy to assign blame but unity is essential. We have been through it together and won the league and everyone was part of it, and during a challenging phase you have to stick together and avoid blaming others.

“Show character and confront the hardship and persist, repeatedly because if you want to give up then you are at the wrong place in my view, because Liverpool has been going through many adversity over those years and we’ve always come out of it. But it doesn’t mean it is easy, it’s exhausting but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the domestic league is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the midweek visit of PSV in the Champions League. He commented: “The next game is another opportunity so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? No, I’m going to go home and try to think how we can improve results and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”