The Liverpool skipper has issued a scathing evaluation of Liverpool's woeful championship campaign, admitting the reigning champions are in a mess and letting down manager Arne Slot while questioning whether every player is owning up for the team’s slump.
The Dutch defender struggled to hold back his frustration after the weekend's 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a negative goal difference. The club's chair was in attendance to observe Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth setback in 11 matches across every tournament, and a display that unravelled against a Forest side that began the match in the relegation zone.
“Unacceptable” Start and Defensive Lapses
Van Dijk described Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “not good enough” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as the Forest player gave Sean Dyche’s team the advantage. The first goal was the ninth concession Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the current campaign.
“We had a great three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are facing facts and the truth is we conceded a free-kick in the first half and a terrible goal at the start of the second half,” stated the defender. “We are definitely failing the manager, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. Start with self-reflection and then you help each other, you help each other get out of this mess because at the moment it is a difficult situation – that’s just a fact.
Captain’s Challenge: Step Up
The skipper typically addresses the press after a match as part of his duties as team leader. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was more forceful – audible enough that any player in the Anfield tunnel could listen in – and he shook with anger while challenging the dressing room to react. “You should be angry,” he emphasized. “The main thing for me is that everyone has to take responsibility.” Asked whether that is happening, he replied: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I expect the boys to do. It’s not easy during tough periods but we must act if we aim to recover of this.”
Summer Signings and Broader Issues
Liverpool invested almost £450m to strengthen a title-winning squad in the summer but have gone backwards, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. The captain maintained that Liverpool’s problems extend past the recent additions. “It’s tough for all involved,” he said. “My expectation is for each player to be answerable on the pitch. We have to do that in order to motivate one another, to make each other better. When someone is pressing, you have to follow the press. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”
Call for Unity
The Dutchman added: “In the current term we don’t have any consistency, we concede excessive scores, we are losing battles and all share the blame for it and I hope this is recognized. It's vital to accept duty to reverse the situation and it is easy to point fingers 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 have to stick together and not point fingers.
“You have to be a man and confront the hardship and persist, again and again because surrendering is not an option then you are in the wrong environment in my view, because this club 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 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 midweek visit of the Dutch side in the European competition. He commented: “Wednesday 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 turn this around and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”
