Virgil van Dijk has delivered a scathing assessment of Liverpool's disappointing title defence, admitting the title holders are in a mess and letting down head coach Slot while doubting whether all squad members is taking responsibility for the current downturn.
Van Dijk struggled to hold back his frustration after Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a negative goal difference. Tom Werner was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s latest loss in seven league games, their eighth loss in 11 matches across every tournament, and a performance that fell apart against a opponent that began the match in the relegation zone.
Van Dijk labeled Liverpool’s start to the second half as “unacceptable” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as the Forest player gave Sean Dyche’s team the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the current campaign.
“There was a great build-up to the match but in a game you are dealing with reality and the facts are we conceded a free-kick in the opening period and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” stated Van Dijk. “As a team, we're certainly failing the manager, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. Start with self-reflection and then you support teammates, you work together to escape of this crisis because at the moment it is a mess – that’s just a fact.
The skipper usually speaks the media after a match as part of his role as team leader. Saturday was different, however. He spoke was much louder – audible enough that any player in the Anfield tunnel could hear him – and he shook with anger while urging the squad to respond. “Anger is justified,” he emphasized. “The key point for me is that each individual has to be accountable.” When questioned whether that is happening, Van Dijk replied: “It's unclear. But you have to do that. That's crucial I want the players to do. It's challenging during tough periods but we must act if we want to get out of this.”
The Merseyside club spent almost £450 million to strengthen a title-winning squad in the off-season but have regressed, with new arrivals failing to make an impact so far. The captain insisted that Liverpool’s issues extend past the recent additions. “It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for each player 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 effort. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”
The Dutchman added: “In the current term we don’t have any consistency, we concede far too many goals, we are being out-fought and everyone is responsible for it and I hope everyone sees that. It's vital to take responsibility to turn this around and it is easy to assign blame 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 challenging phase you must remain united and avoid blaming others.
“Show character and confront the hardship and persist, again and again because surrendering is not an option then you are in the wrong environment in my eyes, because Liverpool has been going through numerous challenges over those years and we’ve consistently emerged of it. But it doesn’t mean it is straightforward, it’s tiring but there is only one path forward.”
Next up in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next weekend, after the Champions League fixture of the Dutch side in the European competition. He said: “Wednesday is another game so what am I going to do, go home and cry? Certainly not, I’m going to return and try to think how we can improve results and hopefully that is the collective focus as well.”
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