Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk admits the team is a “mess” and players are letting manager Arne Slot down following a humiliating home defeat to Nottingham Forest.
According to a report from Liverpool.com, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk stated that the team’s players are both “letting themselves down” and “definitely letting [Arne Slot] down” following a disappointing 3-0 Premier League defeat against Nottingham Forest at Anfield.
The loss, which ranks as a joint-heaviest home defeat in the Premier League era for the club, has exposed deep-seated issues across the team.
Van Dijk admitted that the collapse began after conceding the first goal. He told reporters, “I think the first half an hour was not bad at all, actually, but after we conceded a goal, up until half-time, we were too rushed and nervous in the way we play, trying to force things.” He added that the way the team started the second half was “unacceptable,” leading to the loss.
The defender did not mince words about the team’s current state, declaring, “At the moment, it is a mess; that is just a fact.”
He pointed to defensive struggles, noting that the team is conceding “far too many goals” and lacks consistency. The core issue, according to the captain, is responsibility:
“The main thing for me is that everyone has to take responsibility. You have to do that… It is easy to point fingers, but we have to do it together.” As the club battles to recover from its slump, Van Dijk insists on a mentality of fighting back:
“As the champions, you can’t be in the situation we are in now. But it is a fact. So what are we going to do about it? We are going to try and turn this around.”