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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 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 lower section of the top-flight standings with a deficit in goals. Tom Werner was present at Anfield to observe Liverpool’s latest loss in seven league games, their eighth loss in 11 matches across every tournament, and a display that unravelled against a opponent that started the day in the relegation zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Set-Piece Woes

Van Dijk described Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “not good enough” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as the Forest player gave the visitors the advantage. The first goal was the ninth goal Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the Premier League this season.

“We had a productive three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are dealing with reality and the facts are we gave away a set piece in the first half and a poor concession at the start of the second half,” said Van Dijk. “As a team, we're certainly letting him down, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. Start with self-reflection and then you support teammates, 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 typically addresses the press after a match as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was much louder – audible enough that any player in the stadium corridors could hear him – and he expressed visible fury while urging the dressing room to react. “Anger is justified,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that each individual has to take responsibility.” When questioned whether this is occurring, Van Dijk replied: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I want the players to do. It's challenging during difficult times but we have to do it if we want to get out of this.”

Summer Signings and Broader Issues

Liverpool invested almost £450m to strengthen a title-winning squad in the summer but have regressed, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk maintained that Liverpool’s issues extend past the new recruits. “It's difficult for all involved,” 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 effort. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Call for Unity

The Dutchman added: “This season we lack any steady form, we concede far too many goals, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I hope everyone sees that. It's vital to accept duty to reverse the situation and tempting to point fingers but you have to do it together. Past successes were collective and claimed the title and everyone was part of it, and during a challenging phase you must remain united 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 in the wrong environment in my eyes, because this club has been enduring numerous challenges over those years and we’ve always come out of it. However, that doesn't imply it is straightforward, it’s exhausting but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the Champions League fixture of the Dutch side in the Champions League. Van Dijk commented: “Wednesday is another game so what am I going to do, go home and cry? No, I'll return and analyze how we can turn this around and hopefully that is the collective focus as well.”