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Virgil van Dijk has delivered a blunt assessment of the club's disappointing championship campaign, confessing the reigning champions are in a mess and letting down head coach Slot while doubting whether all squad members is owning up for the team’s slump.

The Dutch defender could not contain his frustration after the weekend'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. The club's chair was present at Anfield to observe Liverpool’s latest loss in seven league games, their eighth setback in eleven fixtures across every tournament, and a display that fell apart against a Forest side that started the day in the relegation zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Set-Piece Woes

Van Dijk labeled Liverpool’s start to the second half as “not good enough” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as Murillo gave the visitors the lead. The first goal was the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the Premier League this season.

“We had a productive build-up to the match but in a fixture you are dealing with reality and the truth is we gave away a free-kick in the first half and a terrible goal at the start of the second half,” stated Van Dijk. “As a team, we're definitely letting him down, 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 crisis because at the present time it is a difficult situation – that's the reality.

Van Dijk’s Demands: Step Up

Van Dijk usually speaks the media after a game as part of his role as team leader. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was more forceful – audible enough that any teammate in the stadium corridors could listen in – and he shook with anger while challenging the dressing room to respond. “Anger is justified,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that each individual has to take responsibility.” When questioned whether this is occurring, Van Dijk replied: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. That's crucial I want the players to do. It’s not easy during tough periods but we have to do it if we aim to recover of this.”

Summer Signings and Team Problems

The Merseyside club spent almost £450m to replenish a championship-winning team in the off-season 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 everyone to be answerable on the field. We have to do that in order to push each other, to make each other better. When someone is pressing, you have to follow 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 allow far too many goals, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I hope everyone sees that. It's vital to accept duty to reverse the situation and tempting to assign blame but unity is essential. Past successes were collective and won the league and everyone was part of it, and during a challenging phase you must remain united and not point fingers.

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

Looking Ahead

Next up in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the midweek visit of PSV in the European competition. He commented: “The next game is another opportunity so what am I going to do, go home and cry? Certainly not, I’m going to return and analyze how we can improve results and hopefully that is the collective focus as well.”