Virgil van Dijk has delivered a scathing assessment of Liverpool’s woeful title defence, the club captain admitting the champions are in a mess and letting down Arne Slot while questioning whether every player is shouldering responsibility for the team’s slump.
Van Dijk could not contain his anger after Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest that left Liverpool in the bottom half of the table with a negative goal difference. Tom Werner, the club’s American chair, was at Anfield to witness Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven Premier League games, their eighth loss in 11 matches in all competitions, and a performance that unravelled against a Forest side that started the day in the relegation zone.
Van Dijk described Liverpool’s start to the second half as “unacceptable” and admitted “panic kicked in” as soon as Murillo gave Sean Dyche’s team the lead. Forest’s opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the Premier League this season.
“We had a great three or four days’ preparation 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,” said Van Dijk. “We are definitely letting him [Slot] 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.
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“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.”
Van Dijk usually speaks with the media after a game as part of his duties as Liverpool captain. Saturday was different, however. His voice was much louder – so loud that any team-mate in the Anfield tunnel could hear him – and he shook with anger while challenging the dressingroom to respond.
“You should be angry,” he insisted. “The main thing for me is that everyone has to take responsibility.” Asked whether that is happening, Van Dijk replied: “I don’t know. But you have to do that. It’s the main thing I want the boys to do. It’s not easy during difficult times but we have to do it if we want to get out of this.”
Liverpool spent almost £450 million (€511 million) to replenish a title-winning squad in the summer but have gone backwards, with Alexander Isak, the £125 million (€142 million) British-record signing, Florian Wirtz, who was absent against Forest but whose fee could reach £116 million (€132 million), the £40 million (€45.5 million) Milos Kerkez and the £29.5 million (€33.5 million) Jeremie Frimpong all failing to make an impact so far.
Van Dijk insisted Liverpool’s issues go beyond the new recruits. “It’s tough for everyone,” he said. “What I want is for everyone to take responsibility on the pitch. 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.”
The Dutchman added: “This season we don’t have any consistency, we concede far too many goals, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I hope everyone sees that. We have to take responsibility to turn this around and it is easy to point fingers but you have to do it together. We have been through it together and won the league and everyone was part of it and happy, and when you go through a tough time you have to stick together and not point fingers.
“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. But it doesn’t mean it is easy, it’s tiring but there is no other way.”
Next up in the Premier League is a trip to West Ham next Sunday, after the midweek visit of PSV in the Champions League. Van Dijk said: “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.” – Guardian
