Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool are in the middle of a difficult Premier League run, and the pressure is rising inside Anfield.
The champions have lost six of their last seven league games, and the mood around the club reflects that struggle.
The 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at home summed up the problems clearly.
The team created chances early, but the confidence dropped once the first goal went in.
It is the kind of situation fans recognise.
When things go wrong, frustration grows.
Players second-guess themselves. The stadium becomes tense.
Even the basics start to look hard.
This is the reality Liverpool are dealing with right now.
Injuries have not helped, but they do not explain everything.
The squad knows they are underperforming.
Supporters know something is missing.
Arne Slot is trying to keep the group steady, but the run of results shows how unstable things have become.
At a time when the club should be pushing at the top end of the table, they are now stuck in mid-table and searching for answers.
That is the atmosphere behind the captain’s major admission.
Virgil van Dijk did not hide anything after the loss to Forest.
The captain was blunt and emotional as he spoke about the team’s form.
He said via The Times: “We’re letting the manager and ourselves down.” He also admitted that Liverpool are “in a mess.”
Van Dijk explained that the slide has come from a lack of responsibility across the pitch.
“You should be angry and the main thing for me is that everyone has to take responsibility,” he said. He added that the champions “can’t be in the situation we are in right now.”
He pointed to the turning point against Forest. After Murillo scored, he said “panic kicks in.”
He described how Liverpool became nervous, forced passes, and then began the second half in a way he called “just unacceptable.”
The captain also highlighted the basic issues: losing duels, being inconsistent, and failing to stay calm.
“You have to find the calmness to create chances and be clinical in front of goal,” he said.
Still, he refused to give up. “I’m not a quitter. I will never quit,” he stressed, adding that there is no time for excuses.
And with PSV coming to Anfield in the Champions League, his message was simple: face the pressure, stay together, and fight out of the crisis.
Read more: Liverpool head coach officially misses League Cup victory with illness
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