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Virgil van Dijk has issued a scathing evaluation of Liverpool's woeful championship campaign, admitting the title holders are in disarray and letting down head coach Slot while doubting whether every player is taking responsibility for the team’s slump.

Van Dijk could not contain his frustration after the weekend's heavy loss at Anfield by Nottingham Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the lower section of the Premier League table with a deficit in goals. The club's chair was present at Anfield to observe Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth setback in 11 matches across all competitions, and a performance that unravelled against a opponent that started the day in the relegation zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Set-Piece Woes

Van Dijk labeled Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “unacceptable” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as Murillo gave Sean Dyche’s team the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the Premier League this season.

“There was a great three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are dealing with facts and the truth is we conceded a set piece in the opening period and a terrible goal at the start of the second half,” stated Van Dijk. “As a team, we're definitely letting him down, but we’ve let ourselves down 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 mess – that's the reality.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Take Responsibility

The skipper usually speaks the media after a match as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was much louder – so loud that any player in the Anfield tunnel could listen in – and he shook with anger while challenging the squad to respond. “You should be angry,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that everyone has to take responsibility.” When questioned whether this is occurring, he answered: “I don’t know. But you have to do that. That's crucial 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 invested almost £450m to strengthen a championship-winning team in the summer but have gone backwards, with several high-profile signings struggling to contribute so far. Van Dijk insisted that Liverpool’s issues extend past the new recruits. “It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for each player to take responsibility on the pitch. This is necessary in order to push each other, to make each other better. If a teammate presses, you must join the press. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

Van Dijk added: “This season we don’t have any consistency, we concede far too many goals, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I trust everyone sees that. We have to accept duty to turn this around 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 tough time you must remain united and not point fingers.

“Show character and face the toughness and go again, again and again because if you want to give up then you are at the wrong place in my eyes, because Liverpool has been going through many adversity over those years and we’ve always come out of it. But it doesn’t mean it is straightforward, it’s tiring but there is no other way.”

Looking Ahead

The upcoming match in the domestic league is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the European competition. Van Dijk commented: “The next game is another game so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I’m going to return and analyze how we can improve results and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”