Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk admitted the Premier League champions are in a mess and have become gripped by a sense of panic after slumping to a sixth defeat in their last seven games.
The 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest was the latest calamity, Van Dijk calling on collective responsibility to address the alarming dip. The Dutch defender acknowledged the dire response to falling behind in the 32nd minute of the Anfield loss. Liverpool had started brightly, but disintegrated after conceding from a set-piece before half-time.
Worryingly, the flaws in Arne Slot’s side have become habitual since winning the first five league games of the season. They have since won just once in the Premier League.
Reflecting on the first time since 1965 that Liverpool had lost consecutive league games by three goals, Van Dijk said: “The first half an hour was good. We created opportunities. We had moments where two or three times there were crosses for a tap-in.
“We were a threat. But then we conceded and panic kicks in. 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. They obviously scored a second which was disallowed. The way we started the second half was just unacceptable. Overall a very disappointing afternoon and something that is hard to take. It’s the reality. I’m not a quitter. I will never quit. I will keep going but it doesn’t mean it isn’t tough to take.”
Questions are being asked about whether Liverpool’s lavish summer spending spree focused on the right recruits, or whether manager Arne Slot is getting the best from those the club invested so heavily to sign. Van Dijk said the players are letting Slot down.
“We had a great three or four days’ preparation, we did everything we expected but in a game you are dealing with facts and the facts are we conceded a set-piece in the first half and a terrible goal at the start of the second half,” he said.
“In terms of letting him down we are definitely letting him down, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. You look at yourself first and then you help each other, you help each other get out of this mess because 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 but it’s a fact. 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.
“You should be angry. The main thing for me is that everyone has to take responsibility.”
The longer Liverpool are in a rut, the more it will be asked if the recent recruits have what it takes to excel at a club of such stature.
“What I want is for everyone to take responsibility on the pitch,” said Van Dijk.“We have to do that in order to push each other, to make each other better. When someone is pressing, you have to follow the press. It’s basic things but it’s not happening enough. We have to get back to that. It’s easy to maybe just think about your own situation rather than the collective side when things are not going well. All of us, not just the starters but those who can make an impact from the bench, have to think about that. But that doesn’t take away it’s a very difficult time.
“You can’t lose 3-0 at home. We concede far too many goals, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I hope everyone sees that. You have to be a man and face the toughness and go again, 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 many adversity over those years and we’ve always come out of it. Wednesday is another game so what am I going to do, go home and cry? No, I’m going to go home and try to think how we can turn this around and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”
