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The Liverpool skipper has issued a blunt assessment of the club's disappointing championship campaign, admitting the reigning champions are in a mess and letting down manager Arne Slot while doubting whether all squad members is taking responsibility for the current downturn.

Van Dijk struggled to hold back his anger after the weekend's 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the lower section of the top-flight standings with a negative goal difference. Tom Werner was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven league games, their eighth loss in 11 matches across every tournament, and a display that fell apart against a Forest side that started the day in the drop zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Defensive Lapses

The captain described Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “unacceptable” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as the Forest player gave Sean Dyche’s team the advantage. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the Premier League this season.

“There was a great build-up to the match but in a fixture you are dealing with facts and the truth is we gave away a free-kick in the first half and a poor concession at the beginning after the break,” said the defender. “We are certainly letting him down, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. You look at yourself first and then you support teammates, you work together to escape of this mess because at the moment it is a mess – that’s just a fact.

Captain’s Challenge: Step Up

Van Dijk usually speaks the media after a game as part of his duties as team leader. This time was distinct, however. His voice was much louder – audible enough that any player in the Anfield tunnel could listen in – and he expressed visible fury while challenging the dressing room to respond. “You should be angry,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that everyone 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 want the boys to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we have to do it if we aim to recover of this.”

Squad Investment and Broader Issues

Liverpool invested almost £450m to strengthen a championship-winning team in the off-season but have regressed, with new arrivals failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk maintained that Liverpool’s issues extend past the recent additions. “It’s tough for all involved,” he said. “My expectation is for each player to take responsibility on the pitch. This is necessary in order to push each other, to make each other better. When someone is pressing, you must join the effort. It’s basic things but they're lacking enough.”

Call for Unity

Van Dijk added: “In the current term we don’t have any consistency, we allow 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 it is easy to assign blame but you have to do it together. We have been through it together and won the league and everyone was part of it, and when you go through a challenging phase you must remain united and avoid blaming others.

“Show character and confront the hardship 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 easy, it’s tiring but there is no other way.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the European competition. He commented: “The next game is another opportunity 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 the collective focus as well.”