Virgil van Dijk has launched a scathing attack on his Liverpool teammates after a 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, admitting the champions are in a 'mess' and letting down manager Arne Slot. The club captain, visibly angry, questioned whether every player is taking responsibility for the team's alarming slump.
Saturday's loss, witnessed by chairman Tom Werner, was Liverpool's sixth defeat in seven Premier League games and eighth in 11 matches across all competitions. Van Dijk described the start of the second half as 'unacceptable' and revealed that 'panic kicked in' after Murillo's opener. The goal was the ninth Liverpool have conceded from a set piece this season.
'We are definitely letting him down, but we've let ourselves down as well,' Van Dijk said. 'You look at yourself first and then you help each other get out of this mess because at the moment it is a mess – that's just a fact.' He insisted that every player must take responsibility, adding: 'It's easy to point fingers but you have to do it together.'
The Dutchman also highlighted a lack of consistency and basic errors, saying: 'We concede far too many goals, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible.' Despite spending almost £450m in the summer, new signings including Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, and Jeremie Frimpong have failed to make an impact.
Liverpool face West Ham next Sunday in the Premier League, with a Champions League trip to PSV midweek. Van Dijk vowed to fight on: 'Wednesday is another game so what am I going to do, go home and cry? No, I'm going to try to think how we can turn this around.'
