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Virgil van Dijk has issued a scathing assessment of the club's disappointing championship campaign, admitting the title holders are in disarray and failing head coach Slot while questioning whether every player is owning up for the current downturn.

The Dutch defender struggled to hold back his anger after Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat 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 in attendance to observe Liverpool’s latest loss in recent outings, their eighth setback in eleven fixtures across every tournament, and a display that unravelled against a opponent that started the day in the drop zone.

“Unacceptable” Start and Set-Piece Woes

Van Dijk described Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “not good enough” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as Murillo gave the visitors the lead. The first goal was the ninth concession 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 facts and the truth is we gave away a free-kick in the first half and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” said the defender. “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 help each other get out of this mess because at the present time it is a mess – 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 much louder – audible enough that any player in the stadium corridors could hear him – and he expressed visible fury while challenging the squad to respond. “You should be angry,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that everyone has to be accountable.” Asked whether that is happening, Van Dijk replied: “I don’t know. 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 have to do it if we aim to recover of this.”

Summer Signings and Team Problems

The Merseyside club spent almost £450m to strengthen a championship-winning team in the summer but have regressed, with new arrivals failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk insisted that Liverpool’s issues extend past the new recruits. “It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “My expectation is for everyone to be answerable on the field. We have to do that in order to motivate one another, to improve collectively. If a teammate presses, you have to follow the press. It’s basic things but it’s not happening enough.”

Call for Unity

The Dutchman added: “This season we lack any steady form, we allow far too many goals, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I trust 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 claimed the title and all contributed, and when you go through a tough time you have to stick together and not point fingers.

“You have to be a man and confront the hardship and go again, again and again because if you want to give up then you are in the wrong environment in my view, because this club has been going through 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 no other way.”

Next Fixtures

Next up in the Premier League is a visit to London Stadium next weekend, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the European competition. Van Dijk said: “Wednesday is another opportunity so what am I going to do, dwell on the loss? No, I'll go home and analyze how we can turn this around and I trust that is what everyone is doing as well.”