Virgil van Dijk delivered a brutally honest verdict on Liverpool’s disastrous title defence, admitting the squad is in “a mess” and questioning whether all players are taking responsibility for the team’s dramatic slump.
The Liverpool captain spoke out after Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, a result that left the champions in the bottom half of the Premier League with a negative goal difference. The loss marked Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven league matches and their eighth in 11 games across all competitions, despite Forest starting the day in the relegation zone.
Van Dijk described the team’s second-half performance as “unacceptable” and said “panic kicked in” after Murillo’s opening goal. He also highlighted the club’s ongoing issues defending set pieces, with Forest’s opener marking the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from dead-ball situations in the league this season.
He admitted the players were letting head coach Arne Slot down. “We are definitely letting him down, but we’ve let ourselves down as well,” Van Dijk said. “We have to help each other get out of this mess because at the moment it is a mess – that’s just a fact.”
Unlike his usual controlled post-match appearances, Van Dijk spoke loudly and emotionally, making it clear his frustration was aimed at the dressing room as much as the performance. He stressed that every player must accept accountability, adding that basic aspects of their game, such as coordinated pressing, are currently missing.
Liverpool spent nearly £450m in the summer rebuilding their squad, but big-money signings such as Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong have yet to make the desired impact. Van Dijk insisted the problems run deeper than new arrivals, pointing to a lack of consistency, lost duels and poor defensive structure.
He urged the team to stick together rather than turn on one another, saying difficult periods are part of football at a club like Liverpool. “You have to be a man and face the toughness and go again and again,” he said.
Liverpool next face PSV in the Champions League before travelling to West Ham in the Premier League, with Van Dijk making it clear he expects a reaction rather than excuses.
