Virgil van Dijk believes his Liverpool team-mates are "letting the manager and ourselves down" following their humbling 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest. The Reds went down to their sixth loss in their last seven games as Arne Slot's team slumped to 11th in the Premier League. Now, an "angry" Van Dijk has called on his side to get themselves out of this "mess".
Liverpool woes continue
Liverpool's weaknesses were ruthlessly exposed by Forest at Anfield on Saturday, leading some to question whether manager Arne Slot is the right man to take this club forward. But Van Dijk asserted that the Reds have a weak underbelly after conceding their 20th goal in 11 league games this season.
The Netherlands international told Premier League Productions: "We concede too many easy goals. They scored obviously from a set piece again. You can ask if he was in front of Alisson, but it counted, so we're 1-0 down. We were not good in terms of battles, challenges, the fight, too rushed. It's a very difficult situation at the moment. There was nervousness after we conceded, but not before. We tried to rush things and that's human when you're in a difficult moment. We cleared the ones before and in the end, we're in a very difficult moment. We don't get out of it by just speaking about it. It will take a lot of hard work."
The captain, however, is positive that they can get back to winning ways but it will not be easy.
"It's a problem. Everyone in the team has to take responsibility as well. Football is a team and everyone has to take responsibility. We have to digest this and take it on the chin. We need to work harder. We have to keep going," he added. "Everyone is disappointed, like they should be, because losing at home to Nottingham Forest is, in my eyes, very bad. That's the least I can say about it. Those goals we conceded are far too easy and we all have to look in the mirror. I've been at this club so long now and we've been through adversity. We will bounce back but it doesn't happen overnight. I'm not a quitter and we will keep going."
AdvertisementGetty Images SportVan Dijk wants accountability
The 34-year-old said it is unacceptable for the Premier League defending champions to be in this situation. He also pointed the finger of blame at the players rather than Slot.
"You should be angry and the main thing for me is that everyone has to take responsibility," he said. "It’s not easy during difficult times but we have to do it if we want to get out of this. We’re definitely letting the manager down, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. At the moment it is a mess – that’s just a fact. As the champions we can’t be in the situation we are in right now. What are we going to do about it? We’re going to try to turn it around and that’s the mentality everyone should have."
'I'm not a quitter'
The former Southampton man believed that after a good start from Liverpool against Forest, they went into "panic" mode after Murillo's opener. Van Dijk also insisted he is ready for this fight they are in but a lot needs to change.
"The first half an hour was good. We created opportunities. We had moments where two or three times there were crosses in front of (Matz) Sels for a tap-in. Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) had a shot which was well blocked. We were a threat. But then we conceded from a set-piece and panic kicks in," said the centre-back. "As a team, you have to try to stay calm and do the right things. But we didn’t do that and that’s hard to accept. We were nervous in the way we played. We were trying to force things. The way we started the second half was just unacceptable. You have to find the calmness to create chances and be clinical in front of goal. But we didn’t do that and Forest were also physically winning so many battles against us. We’re having a season with so much inconsistency. We are conceding far too many goals. We had a good couple of days in terms of the sessions preparing for this game. We had good meetings too. But at the end of the day it’s about what you show on the pitch. I’m not a quitter. I will never quit. I will keep going but it doesn’t mean it isn’t tough to take."
Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Liverpool?
While things look bleak for Liverpool, manager Slot is confident they can reignite their season, while a former Reds player believes that his job at Anfield is not under threat. And they have a chance to move on from this latest setback quickly when they entertain PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League in midweek.