Virgil van Dijk has delivered a blunt evaluation of Liverpool's disappointing championship campaign, confessing the title holders are in disarray and letting down manager Arne Slot while questioning whether every player is taking responsibility for the current downturn.
Van Dijk struggled to hold back his anger after the weekend's 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest, a result that left Liverpool in the bottom half of the top-flight standings with a negative goal difference. The club's chair was present at Anfield to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in recent outings, their eighth loss in eleven fixtures across every tournament, and a display that unravelled against a opponent that started the day in the drop zone.
The captain described Liverpool’s opening after halftime as “not good enough” 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 allowed from dead-ball situations in the current campaign.
“There was a productive three or four days’ preparation but in a fixture you are dealing with reality and the facts are 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 certainly letting him down, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. You look at yourself first and then you help each other, you work together to escape of this mess because at the moment it is a mess – that's the reality.
The skipper usually speaks the press after a match as part of his duties as team leader. This time was distinct, however. His voice was more forceful – so loud that any player in the stadium corridors could listen in – and he shook with anger while urging the squad to react. “Anger is justified,” he insisted. “The main thing for me is that everyone has to take responsibility.” Asked whether this is occurring, Van Dijk answered: “I don’t know. But you have to do that. That's crucial I expect the boys to do. It’s not easy during difficult times but we must act if we want to get out of this.”
Liverpool invested almost £450m to strengthen a title-winning squad in the off-season but have gone backwards, with new arrivals struggling to contribute so far. The captain maintained that Liverpool’s problems extend past the new recruits. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for everyone to be answerable on the pitch. We have to do that in order to push each other, to make each other better. When someone is pressing, you must join the press. These are fundamentals but they're lacking enough.”
Van Dijk continued: “In the current term we lack any steady form, we concede excessive scores, we are being out-fought and all share the blame for it and I trust this is recognized. It's vital to take responsibility to reverse the situation and it is easy to assign blame but unity is essential. Past successes were collective and won the league and all contributed, and during a tough time you must remain united and avoid blaming others.
“You have to be a man and face the toughness and persist, again and again because if you want to give up then you are at the wrong place 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 straightforward, it’s tiring but there is no other way.”
The upcoming match in the domestic league is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the Champions League fixture of PSV in the Champions League. Van Dijk said: “Wednesday is another opportunity so how should I respond, dwell on the loss? Certainly not, I’m going to go home and analyze how we can turn this around and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”
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