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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a scathing assessment of the club's woeful championship campaign, confessing the reigning champions are in disarray and failing manager Arne Slot while questioning whether every player is taking responsibility for the team’s slump.

The Dutch defender struggled to hold back his frustration after the weekend's heavy loss at Anfield by Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a deficit in goals. The club's chair was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s latest loss in recent outings, their eighth setback in eleven fixtures across all competitions, and a display that fell apart against a Forest side 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 advantage. 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 game you are facing reality and the facts are we conceded a set piece in the opening period and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” said the defender. “We are definitely letting him down, but we’ve disappointed ourselves as well. You look at yourself first and then you support teammates, you work together to escape of this crisis because at the present time it is a mess – that's the reality.

Captain’s Challenge: Step Up

Van Dijk usually speaks the press after a game as part of his role as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. His voice was much louder – audible enough that any player 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, he replied: “It's unclear. But it's essential. It’s the main thing I want the boys to do. It's challenging during difficult times but we must act if we want to get out of this.”

Squad Investment and Team Problems

Liverpool invested almost £450m to replenish a title-winning squad in the summer but have gone backwards, with new arrivals failing to make an impact so far. The captain maintained that Liverpool’s problems extend past the new recruits. “It's difficult for all involved,” he said. “My expectation is for each player to take responsibility on the pitch. This is necessary in order to motivate one another, to make each other better. If a teammate presses, you must join the press. It’s basic things but it’s not happening enough.”

Appeal to Stick Together

Van Dijk continued: “This season we don’t have any consistency, we allow excessive scores, we are losing battles and all share the blame for it and I trust this is recognized. We have to accept duty to reverse the situation and it is easy to assign blame but you have to do it together. Past successes were collective and won the league and everyone was part of it, and when you go through a challenging phase you have to stick together and avoid blaming others.

“You have to be a man 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 enduring many adversity over recent seasons and we’ve always come out of it. But it doesn’t mean it is straightforward, it’s exhausting but there is only one path forward.”

Looking Ahead

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the Champions League fixture of the Dutch side in the Champions League. Van Dijk commented: “Wednesday is another game so how should I respond, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I’m going to return and try to think how we can turn this around and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”