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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a blunt evaluation of the club's woeful title defence, confessing the title holders are in disarray and letting down head coach Slot while questioning whether all squad members is owning up for the team’s slump.

Van Dijk struggled to hold back his anger after the weekend's 3-0 home defeat by Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a deficit in goals. Tom Werner was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s latest loss in recent outings, 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 relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Defensive Lapses

Van Dijk labeled Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “not good enough” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as the Forest player gave the visitors the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the current campaign.

“We had a productive build-up to the match but in a fixture you are facing facts and the truth is we gave away a set piece in the first half and a poor concession at the start of the second half,” stated the defender. “We are definitely 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 crisis because at the moment it is a difficult situation – that's the reality.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Take Responsibility

Van Dijk typically addresses the press after a match as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. This time was distinct, however. He spoke was more forceful – so loud that any teammate in the stadium corridors could listen in – and he expressed visible fury while urging the squad to respond. “Anger is justified,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that everyone has to take responsibility.” When questioned whether that is happening, Van Dijk replied: “I don’t know. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I want the players to do. It's challenging during difficult times but we have to do it if we want to get out of this.”

Summer Signings and Broader Issues

The Merseyside club spent 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 insisted that Liverpool’s problems extend past the new recruits. “It's difficult for all involved,” he said. “What I want is for each player to take responsibility on the field. This is necessary in order to push each other, to improve collectively. When someone is pressing, you must join the effort. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”

Call for Unity

Van Dijk continued: “In the current term we don’t have any steady form, we concede far too many goals, we are being out-fought and all share the blame for it and I trust this is recognized. It's vital to accept duty to turn this around and it is easy to point fingers but you have to do it together. We have been through it together and claimed the title and everyone was part of it, and during a tough time you must remain united and not point fingers.

“You have to be a man and face the toughness and persist, again and again because surrendering is not an option then you are at the wrong place in my eyes, because this club has been enduring numerous challenges over recent seasons and we’ve always come out of it. However, that doesn't imply it is easy, it’s exhausting but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the European competition. Van Dijk said: “The next game is another game so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? No, I'll return and try to think how we can turn this around and hopefully that is the collective focus as well.”