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Virgil van Dijk has issued a scathing assessment of Liverpool's woeful title defence, confessing the title holders are in a mess and failing manager Arne Slot while doubting whether every player is taking responsibility for the current downturn.

The Dutch defender struggled to hold back his anger after Saturday’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 observe Liverpool’s latest loss in recent outings, their eighth loss in 11 matches across every tournament, and a performance that fell apart against a opponent 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 “anxiety set 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.

“There was a great three or four days’ preparation but in a game you are dealing with reality and the facts are we conceded a set piece in the opening period and a poor concession at the beginning after the break,” stated Van Dijk. “As a team, we're definitely letting him down, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. Start with self-reflection and then you help each other, you work together to escape of this mess because at the present time it is a mess – that's the reality.

Captain’s Challenge: Step Up

The skipper usually speaks the media after a game as part of his duties as team leader. This time was distinct, however. He spoke was much louder – audible enough that any teammate in the Anfield tunnel could listen in – and he shook with anger while urging the squad to react. “You should be angry,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” When questioned whether that is happening, Van Dijk answered: “I don’t know. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I expect the boys to do. It's challenging during difficult times but we must act if we aim to recover of this.”

Squad Investment and Broader Issues

The Merseyside club spent almost £450m to strengthen a championship-winning team in the off-season but have regressed, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk insisted that Liverpool’s issues go beyond the new recruits. “It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for everyone to be answerable on the field. We have to do that in order to push each other, to make each other better. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the effort. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

The Dutchman added: “In the current term we lack any consistency, we concede far too many goals, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I trust this is recognized. It's vital to accept duty to reverse the situation and tempting to assign blame but unity is essential. Past successes were collective and won the league and all contributed, and when you go through a tough time you have to stick together and not point fingers.

“Show character and confront the hardship 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 many adversity over those years and we’ve always come out of it. But it doesn’t mean it is easy, it’s tiring but there is only one path forward.”

Looking Ahead

Next up in the domestic league is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the European competition. He said: “Wednesday is another game 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 what everyone is doing as well.”