Virgil van Dijk fumes at Liverpool stars and fires brutal dressing room accusation…

Virgil van Dijk expresses frustration towards Liverpool players and delivers a harsh critique in the dressing room.

Liverpool’s captain, Virgil van Dijk, has provided a stark evaluation of the team’s current predicament following their 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest.

He has raised concerns about whether the Liverpool squad is collectively taking on the responsibility of lifting Arne Slot’s team out of a situation that the captain believes should not be affecting the reigning Premier League champions. The Dutch defender asserts that any player who lacks the determination to navigate through these challenging times is in the “wrong place” at Anfield, while also accusing the team of letting their manager down.

The Reds hit a new low in a challenging season when they faced a 3-0 defeat at home against struggling Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon. This result matched their heaviest home defeat in Premier League history and marked their sixth loss in the last seven league matches, as well as the first time since 1965 that they have lost consecutive league games by three or more goals, having suffered the same fate against Manchester City just two weeks prior.

Liverpool now finds itself in the lower half of the table for the first time in a decade, with increasing pressure on Slot to reverse a decline that has led to speculation about a potential managerial change.

When asked about the club’s poor performance and their support for the head coach, Van Dijk spoke openly.

“We are certainly letting him down, but we have also let ourselves down,” he stated. “You need to reflect on your own performance first, and then support each other to escape this situation because right now, it is indeed a mess – that is simply the truth.

“As champions, we cannot find ourselves in the position we are currently in, but it is a reality. What steps are we going to take? We will strive to turn things around, and that is the mindset everyone should adopt.

When asked about the mood in the dressing room after the defeat to Forest, Van Dijk acknowledged: “Yes, you should feel angry. The most important thing for me is that everyone must take responsibility.

“Are people doing that? I’m not sure. But it is essential to do so. This is the primary thing I want from the boys. It’s challenging during tough times, but we must do it if we aim to overcome this.

“What I desire is for everyone to assume responsibility on the pitch. We need to do this to motivate one another and improve collectively. When someone presses, you must join the press.

“These are fundamental aspects, yet they are not occurring frequently enough. We need to return to that mindset. It’s easy to focus on your own situation instead of the team aspect when things are going poorly.”

Looking back on the past year, Van Dijk remarked: “Reflecting on last year, which I prefer not to dwell on too much, we had a new manager, and no one knew what to expect, but the consistency we achieved was remarkable.

“This season, we lack consistency, we concede too many goals, we are losing battles, and everyone is accountable for this, and I hope everyone recognizes that. We must take responsibility to change this situation, and while it’s easy to blame others, we need to work together.

“We have experienced this together and won the league, with everyone contributing and feeling happy. During tough times, we must unite and avoid blaming each other; we need to be strong and confront the challenges repeatedly because if you want to give up, then you are in the wrong place in my opinion. This club has faced numerous challenges over the years, and we have always emerged stronger.

“However, that doesn’t imply it’s easy; it’s exhausting, but there is no alternative. Wednesday’s match against PSV Eindhoven at home in the Champions League is another opportunity, so what am I supposed to do, go home and cry? No, I will go home and think about how we can turn this around, and I hope everyone else is doing the same.”

Liverpool controlled the ball with 74 percent possession against Forest but only managed four shots on target from 21 attempts, marking the first instance since February 2023 that they have failed to score in consecutive league matches.

The Reds have recorded just three clean sheets in the Premier League this season and, having allowed 20 goals in 12 top-flight games, they are experiencing their worst defensive start to a season since 1992.

For Van Dijk, this was only the fifth time he has faced defeat in a home league game since joining Anfield nearly eight years ago. He expressed his disappointment: “Was it as bad as it’s been this season? Yeah. You can’t lose 3-0 at home. If you look at the 30 minutes we played, it shows we still had a very good performance, but football isn’t played over 30 minutes, and that was evident.

“We conceded, and panic set in. As a team, you need to remain calm and execute the right actions. However, we failed to do that, which is hard to accept. We played nervously and tried to force things.

“The way we began the second half was simply unacceptable. Going into half-time, you discuss your plans for the second half. Then to concede such an easy goal and find ourselves 2-0 down changes everything. It’s challenging.

“You must be mentally resilient and keep pushing forward. You need to find the composure to create opportunities and be precise in front of goal. Unfortunately, we didn’t achieve that, and Forest were also winning many physical battles against us.

“Overall, it was a very disappointing day, and it’s tough to accept. This is the reality. I’m not one to give up. I will continue to fight, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult to handle. The truth is we are in a very challenging situation.