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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a scathing evaluation of Liverpool's disappointing championship campaign, admitting the reigning champions are in a mess and failing head coach Slot while doubting whether all squad members is owning up for the current downturn.

The Dutch defender struggled to hold back his anger after Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the bottom half of the top-flight standings with a negative goal difference. Tom Werner was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth setback in 11 matches across all competitions, and a performance that fell apart against a opponent that began the match in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Set-Piece Woes

Van Dijk described Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “not good enough” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as the Forest player gave the visitors 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 gave away a set piece in the first half and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” stated the defender. “We are definitely 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 crisis because at the moment it is a difficult situation – that's the reality.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Step Up

The skipper usually speaks the press after a match as part of his duties as team leader. Saturday was different, however. His voice was much louder – so loud that any player in the Anfield tunnel could listen in – and he shook with anger while challenging the dressing room to respond. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that each individual has to take responsibility.” When questioned whether this is occurring, he replied: “It's unclear. But it's essential. That's crucial 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

Liverpool invested almost £450m to strengthen a championship-winning team in the summer but have regressed, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. The captain maintained that Liverpool’s issues go beyond the recent additions. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for each player to be answerable on the pitch. This is necessary in order to push each other, to improve collectively. If a teammate presses, you must join the effort. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

Van Dijk continued: “In the current term we lack any steady form, we allow far too many goals, we are being out-fought and all share the blame for it and I hope everyone sees that. It's vital to accept duty to turn this around and it is easy to assign blame but unity is essential. We have been through it together and claimed the title and all contributed, and when you go through a challenging phase you must remain united and avoid blaming others.

“You have to be a man and confront the hardship and go again, repeatedly because if you want to give up then you are in the wrong environment in my view, because this club has been enduring numerous challenges over recent seasons and we’ve consistently emerged of it. But it doesn’t mean it is straightforward, it’s tiring but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the midweek visit of PSV in the Champions League. Van Dijk commented: “The next game is another opportunity so how should I respond, dwell on the loss? No, I'll return and analyze how we can improve results and hopefully that is the collective focus as well.”