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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a scathing evaluation of the club's disappointing championship campaign, admitting the title holders are in disarray and failing manager Arne Slot while questioning whether all squad members is owning up for the current downturn.

The Dutch defender could not contain his anger after Saturday’s heavy loss at Anfield by Nottingham Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a negative goal difference. Tom Werner was present at Anfield to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth loss in 11 matches across all competitions, and a performance that unravelled against a Forest side that started the day in the relegation zone.

Poor Second Half and Set-Piece Woes

The captain labeled Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “not good enough” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as Murillo gave Sean Dyche’s team the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth concession Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the Premier League this season.

“We had a productive three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are dealing with facts and the facts are we conceded a free-kick in the first half and a poor concession at the beginning after the break,” stated Van Dijk. “As a team, we're 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 mess because at the moment it is a mess – that's the reality.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Step Up

The skipper usually speaks the media after a match as part of his duties as team leader. This time was distinct, however. His voice was much louder – so loud that any teammate in the Anfield tunnel could hear him – and he shook with anger while urging the dressing room to react. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The main thing for me is that each individual has to take responsibility.” Asked whether this is occurring, Van Dijk replied: “I don’t know. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I want the boys 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 invested almost £450m to replenish a title-winning squad in the off-season but have regressed, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. The captain maintained that Liverpool’s issues go beyond the recent additions. “It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for each player to take responsibility on the field. We have to do that in order to motivate one another, to improve collectively. When someone is pressing, you must join the effort. These are fundamentals but it’s not happening enough.”

Call for Unity

Van Dijk continued: “In the current term we lack any consistency, we allow excessive scores, we are losing battles and all share the blame for it and I trust everyone sees that. It's vital to accept duty to turn this around and it is easy to point fingers 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 tough time you must remain united and not point fingers.

“You have to be a man and face the toughness and go again, repeatedly because if you want to give up then you are at the wrong place in my eyes, because this club has been enduring numerous challenges over those years and we’ve always come out of it. However, that doesn't imply it is easy, it’s exhausting but there is no other way.”

Looking Ahead

The upcoming match in the domestic league is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the midweek visit of the Dutch side in the European competition. Van Dijk said: “Wednesday is another opportunity so what am I going to do, go home and cry? Certainly not, I'll return and try to think how we can improve results and I trust that is the collective focus as well.”