Van Dijk Concedes Squad Faces Crisis, Challenges Teammates on Responsibility
The Liverpool skipper has issued a scathing assessment of Liverpool's woeful championship campaign, confessing the reigning champions are in disarray and letting down head coach Slot while questioning whether all squad members is owning up for the team’s slump.
The Dutch defender struggled to hold back his anger after Saturday’s heavy loss at Anfield by Forest, a result that saw the Reds in the bottom half of the Premier League table with a deficit in goals. The club's chair was in attendance to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth loss in 11 matches across all competitions, and a display that fell apart against a Forest side that started the day in the drop zone.
Poor Second Half and Defensive Lapses
The captain labeled Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “unacceptable” and admitted “anxiety set in” as soon as the Forest player gave Sean Dyche’s team the advantage. The first goal was the ninth concession Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the current campaign.
“We had a great build-up to the match but in a game you are dealing with facts and the facts are we conceded a free-kick in the first half and a terrible goal at the beginning after the break,” said Van Dijk. “We are certainly letting him down, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. Start with self-reflection and then you support teammates, you help each other get out of this mess because at the present time it is a difficult situation – that’s just a fact.
Van Dijk’s Demands: Take Responsibility
The skipper typically addresses the press after a game as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. His voice was more forceful – so loud that any teammate in the stadium corridors could hear him – and he expressed visible fury while urging the dressing room to react. “You should be angry,” he insisted. “The main thing for me is that each individual has to take responsibility.” Asked whether this is occurring, Van Dijk answered: “I don’t know. But it's essential. It’s the main thing I expect the boys to do. It's challenging during difficult times but we must act if we aim to recover of this.”
Squad Investment and Broader Issues
Liverpool spent almost £450m to strengthen a championship-winning team in the summer but have regressed, with several high-profile signings failing to make an impact so far. Van Dijk insisted that Liverpool’s problems go beyond the recent additions. “It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for everyone to be answerable 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 press. These are fundamentals but it’s not happening enough.”
Appeal to Stick Together
The Dutchman added: “This season we lack any consistency, we concede excessive scores, we are losing battles and all share the blame for it and I trust this is recognized. We have to accept duty 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 won the league and all contributed, and when you go through a challenging phase you must remain united and avoid blaming others.
“Show character and confront the hardship and go again, repeatedly because surrendering is not an option then you are in the wrong environment in my eyes, because this club has been going through numerous challenges over recent seasons 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.”
Looking Ahead
Next up in the domestic league is a visit to London Stadium next weekend, after the Champions League fixture of the Dutch side in the Champions League. Van Dijk said: “The next game is another opportunity so what am I going to do, go home and cry? No, I'll go home and try to think how we can turn this around and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”