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The Liverpool skipper has delivered a scathing assessment of the club's woeful championship campaign, confessing the title holders are in disarray and failing manager Arne Slot while doubting whether all squad members is owning up for the team’s slump.

The Dutch defender could not contain his anger after Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a negative goal difference. The club's chair was present at Anfield to observe Liverpool’s latest loss in recent outings, their eighth loss in eleven fixtures across all competitions, and a performance that fell apart against a opponent that began the match in the drop zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Defensive Lapses

The captain labeled Liverpool’s start to the second half as “unacceptable” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as Murillo gave Sean Dyche’s team the advantage. Forest’s opener was the ninth concession Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the current campaign.

“We had a great build-up to the match but in a game you are facing facts and the truth is we gave away a free-kick in the opening period and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” said the defender. “As a team, we're certainly letting him down, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. You look at yourself first and then you support teammates, you help each other get out of this mess because at the moment it is a mess – that's the reality.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Step Up

The skipper typically addresses the media after a game as part of his duties as team leader. Saturday was different, however. His voice was more forceful – audible enough that any teammate in the stadium corridors could listen in – and he expressed visible fury while urging the squad to react. “You should be angry,” he insisted. “The main thing for me is that everyone has to take responsibility.” When questioned whether this is occurring, he answered: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. That's crucial I want the players to do. It’s not easy during difficult times but we must act if we want to get out of this.”

Summer Signings and Team Problems

Liverpool invested almost £450 million to replenish a title-winning squad in the summer but have gone backwards, with several high-profile signings struggling to contribute so far. The captain maintained that Liverpool’s issues extend past the recent additions. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for each player to take responsibility on the field. This is necessary in order to push each other, to improve collectively. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the effort. These are fundamentals but it’s not happening enough.”

Call for Unity

Van Dijk added: “In the current term we lack any consistency, we allow excessive scores, we are losing battles and all share the blame for it and I hope everyone sees that. We have to accept duty to reverse the situation and tempting to assign blame but you have to do it together. Past successes were collective and won the league and all contributed, and during a challenging phase you have to stick together and avoid blaming others.

“Show character and face the toughness and persist, repeatedly because if you want to give up then you are at the wrong place in my view, because Liverpool has been going through many adversity over recent seasons and we’ve always come out of it. But it doesn’t mean 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 Champions League fixture of PSV in the European competition. He commented: “The next game is another game so how should I respond, go home and cry? Certainly not, I’m going to go home and analyze how we can improve results and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”