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The Liverpool skipper has issued a blunt evaluation of the club's disappointing championship campaign, confessing the title holders are in disarray and failing head coach Slot while questioning whether all squad members is owning up for the team’s slump.

The Dutch defender could not contain his anger after the weekend'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 present at Anfield to observe Liverpool’s latest loss in recent outings, their eighth loss in 11 matches across every tournament, and a display that unravelled against a opponent that began the match in the relegation zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Set-Piece Woes

Van Dijk described Liverpool’s start to the second half as “not good enough” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as Murillo gave Sean Dyche’s team the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the current campaign.

“There was a productive build-up to the match but in a fixture you are dealing with facts and the facts are we conceded a free-kick in the first half and a poor concession at the beginning after the break,” stated Van Dijk. “We are certainly failing the manager, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. Start with self-reflection and then you support teammates, you help each other get out of this mess because at the present time it is a difficult situation – that’s just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Step Up

Van Dijk typically addresses the media after a match as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. 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 urging the squad to react. “You should be angry,” he emphasized. “The main thing for me is that each individual has to be accountable.” Asked whether this is occurring, Van Dijk replied: “I don’t know. But you have to do that. That's crucial I expect the players to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we must act if we aim to recover of this.”

Summer Signings and Broader Issues

The Merseyside club invested almost £450m to strengthen a championship-winning team in the summer but have regressed, with new arrivals struggling to contribute so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s problems extend past the new recruits. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for everyone to take responsibility on the pitch. We have to do that in order to motivate one another, to improve collectively. When someone is pressing, 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 concede far too many goals, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I hope everyone sees that. We have to take responsibility to turn this around and tempting to assign blame but you have to do it together. We have been through it together and won the league and all contributed, and during a tough time you have to stick together and avoid blaming others.

“You have to be a man and face the toughness and persist, repeatedly because surrendering is not an option then you are in the wrong environment in my eyes, because Liverpool has been enduring many adversity over recent seasons and we’ve always come out of it. However, that doesn't imply it is straightforward, it’s exhausting but there is no other way.”

Looking Ahead

Next up in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the midweek visit of PSV in the Champions League. He said: “The next game is another game so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? No, I'll go home and try to think how we can turn this around and I trust that is what everyone is doing as well.”