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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a scathing evaluation of the club's woeful championship campaign, confessing the reigning champions are in a mess and letting down head coach Slot while questioning whether all squad members is owning up for the current downturn.

Van Dijk struggled to hold back his anger after the weekend's heavy loss at Anfield by Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the bottom half 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 setback in eleven fixtures across every tournament, and a performance that fell apart against a Forest side that started the day in the drop zone.

Poor Second Half and Defensive Lapses

The captain described Liverpool’s start to the second half as “not good enough” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as the Forest player gave the visitors the advantage. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the current campaign.

“We had a productive build-up to the match but in a game you are facing facts and the truth is we conceded a free-kick in the first half and a poor concession at the start of the second half,” stated the defender. “We are certainly letting him down, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. You look at yourself first and then you help each other, you work together to escape of this mess because at the present time it is a difficult situation – that’s just a fact.

Captain’s Challenge: Step Up

Van Dijk usually speaks the media after a game as part of his role as team leader. This time was distinct, however. He spoke was more forceful – so loud that any player in the stadium corridors could listen in – and he expressed visible fury while challenging the dressing room to respond. “You should be angry,” he insisted. “The main thing for me is that each individual has to be accountable.” Asked whether that is happening, Van Dijk replied: “It's unclear. But it's essential. It’s the main thing I want the players to do. It’s not easy during difficult times but we have to do it if we aim to recover of this.”

Squad Investment and Broader Issues

The Merseyside club invested almost £450 million to strengthen a championship-winning team in the summer but have gone backwards, with new arrivals failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk maintained that Liverpool’s issues go beyond the new recruits. “It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for each player to be answerable on the field. This is necessary in order to motivate one another, to improve collectively. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the effort. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Call for Unity

The Dutchman added: “This season we don’t have any steady form, we concede excessive scores, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I hope everyone sees that. We have to accept duty to reverse the situation and it is easy to point fingers but unity is essential. Past successes were collective and won the league and all contributed, and during a tough time you have to stick together and avoid blaming others.

“Show character and confront the hardship and go again, again and again because surrendering is not an option then you are at the wrong place in my view, because Liverpool 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.”

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: “The next game is another game so how should I respond, 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.”