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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a blunt evaluation of Liverpool's woeful championship campaign, admitting the title holders are in disarray and failing head coach Slot while doubting whether every player is owning up for the current downturn.

The Dutch defender could not contain his frustration after the weekend's heavy loss at Anfield by Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the lower section of the Premier League table with a negative goal difference. Tom Werner was in attendance to observe Liverpool’s latest loss 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 Set-Piece Woes

The captain labeled Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “unacceptable” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as Murillo gave Sean Dyche’s team the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have allowed from dead-ball situations in the Premier League this season.

“We had a productive build-up to the match but in a game you are dealing with facts and the facts are we gave away a free-kick in the first half and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” stated Van Dijk. “We are definitely letting him down, 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 crisis because at the moment it is a difficult situation – that’s just a fact.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Take Responsibility

Van Dijk usually speaks the media after a game as part of his role as team leader. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was much louder – so loud that any teammate in the stadium corridors could hear him – and he expressed visible fury while challenging the dressing room to respond. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The key point for me is that each individual has to be accountable.” Asked whether this is occurring, he replied: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I expect the players to do. It's challenging during difficult times but we must act if we aim to recover of this.”

Squad Investment and Team Problems

The Merseyside club spent almost £450m to replenish a title-winning squad in the summer but have gone backwards, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk insisted that Liverpool’s problems extend past the recent additions. “It's difficult for all involved,” he said. “What I want is for each player to take responsibility on the pitch. This is necessary in order to push each other, to make each other better. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the effort. These are fundamentals but it’s not happening enough.”

Call for Unity

The Dutchman continued: “In the current term we lack any consistency, we allow far too many goals, we are losing battles and all share the blame for it and I trust this is recognized. We have to take responsibility to turn this around and it is easy to point fingers but you have to do it together. Past successes were collective and claimed the title and all contributed, and during a challenging phase you have to stick together and avoid blaming others.

“Show character and face the toughness and go again, repeatedly because if you want to give up then you are in the wrong environment in my view, because Liverpool has been enduring many adversity over those years and we’ve consistently emerged of it. But it doesn’t mean it is easy, it’s tiring but there is only one path forward.”

Next Fixtures

The upcoming match in the domestic league is a visit to London Stadium next weekend, after the midweek visit of PSV in the Champions League. Van Dijk commented: “Wednesday is another opportunity so what am I going to do, go home and cry? Certainly not, I'll return and analyze how we can turn this around and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”