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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a blunt assessment of Liverpool's disappointing title defence, confessing the reigning champions are in disarray and letting down head coach Slot while doubting whether all squad members is owning up for the team’s slump.

Van Dijk could not contain 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. Tom Werner was present at Anfield to witness Liverpool’s latest loss in seven league games, their eighth loss in eleven fixtures across every tournament, and a display that fell apart against a Forest side that began the match in the relegation zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Set-Piece Woes

The captain described Liverpool’s start to the second half as “unacceptable” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as Murillo gave Sean Dyche’s team the advantage. The first goal was the ninth concession Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the current campaign.

“We had a great build-up to the match but in a fixture you are dealing with reality and the facts are 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 definitely failing the manager, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. Start with self-reflection and then you help each other, you work together to escape of this mess because at the present time it is a mess – that’s just a fact.

Captain’s Challenge: Take Responsibility

The skipper typically addresses the press after a match as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was more forceful – so loud that any teammate in the stadium corridors could hear him – and he expressed visible fury while urging the squad to react. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The main thing for me is that each individual has to be accountable.” When questioned whether this is occurring, Van Dijk answered: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I want the players to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we have to do it if we want to get out of this.”

Summer Signings and Team Problems

The Merseyside club invested almost £450m to strengthen a championship-winning team in the off-season but have regressed, with several high-profile signings struggling to contribute so far. Van Dijk maintained that Liverpool’s issues go beyond the new recruits. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for everyone to be answerable on the field. We have to do that in order to motivate one another, to improve collectively. If a teammate presses, you must join the press. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Call for Unity

The Dutchman added: “In the current term we lack any consistency, we concede excessive scores, we are being out-fought and all share the blame for it and I hope this is recognized. 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.

“You have to be a man and confront the hardship and persist, again and again because surrendering is not an option then you are at the wrong place in my view, because this club 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 only one path forward.”

Looking Ahead

Next up in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the midweek visit of the Dutch side in the European competition. Van Dijk said: “The next game is another opportunity so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I’m going to go home and analyze how we can improve results and hopefully that is the collective focus as well.”