Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk didn’t hold back after the Premier League champions’ season took yet another nosedive with a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield.
With pressure tightening around Arne Slot, Van Dijk admitted what everyone’s been thinking: the players are failing their manager and themselves.
“At the moment, it is a mess”
Liverpool have now lost six of their last seven league games, a staggering collapse for a team that spent nearly £450 million ($590m) in the summer. Slot’s position is inevitably under scrutiny, but Van Dijk says responsibility starts inside the dressing room.
“We are definitely letting him (Slot) down, but we’ve let ourselves down as well,” he 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 didn’t dodge the big picture either.
“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.”
Misfiring stars, shaky veterans
Liverpool’s huge summer bets aren’t paying off. £125m signing Alexander Isak is still waiting for his first league goal and was anonymous again during 68 minutes against Forest.
Last season’s stalwarts aren’t helping either: Ibrahima Konaté was pulled off early after another poor showing.
“What I want is for everyone to take responsibility on the pitch,” Van Dijk said. “We have to do that… not point fingers.”
Then he doubled down with his strongest message yet.
“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. This club has gone through much adversity… but it doesn’t mean it is easy — it’s tiring, but there is no other way.”
“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.”
If Liverpool need a reset, it might come in the Champions League, where they’ve won three of four.
PSV Eindhoven visit Anfield on Wednesday.
(with AFP inputs)
