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The Liverpool skipper has issued a blunt evaluation of Liverpool's disappointing championship campaign, confessing the title holders are in a mess and failing manager Arne Slot while questioning whether all squad members is taking responsibility for the current downturn.

Van Dijk struggled to hold back his frustration after Saturday’s heavy loss at Anfield by Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the lower section of the top-flight standings with a negative goal difference. The club's chair was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven league games, their eighth setback in eleven fixtures across all competitions, and a display that fell apart against a opponent that started the day in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Defensive Lapses

The captain 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. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the current campaign.

“We had a productive three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are dealing with 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,” said the defender. “We are definitely 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 crisis because at the moment it is a difficult situation – that’s just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Step Up

The skipper usually speaks the press after a game as part of his role as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was much louder – so loud that any player in the Anfield tunnel could hear him – and he shook with anger while urging the dressing room to react. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” When questioned whether this is occurring, he replied: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I want the boys 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 spent almost £450m to strengthen a championship-winning team in the summer but have regressed, with several high-profile signings struggling to contribute so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s problems extend past the recent additions. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for each player to be answerable on the field. We have to do that 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 it’s not happening enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

Van Dijk continued: “In the current term we lack any consistency, we concede far too many goals, we are being out-fought and all share the blame for it and I trust everyone sees that. It's vital to take responsibility to reverse the situation and it is easy to point fingers 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 must remain united 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 going through numerous challenges over recent seasons and we’ve consistently emerged of it. However, that doesn't imply it is easy, it’s exhausting but there is no other way.”

Next Fixtures

Next up in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the European competition. Van Dijk said: “The next game is another opportunity so how should I respond, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I’m going to go home and try to think how we can improve results and hopefully that is the collective focus as well.”