Liverpool manager Arne Slot disagreed with Virgil van Dijk’s conclusion that some members of the squad were shirking their responsibilities, instead heaping the blame solely onto himself during a remarkably outspoken appraisal.
A visibly angry Van Dijk questioned the attitude of his teammates in the aftermath of Saturday’s dismal 3–0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, admitting that the players were letting Slot down during what he labelled “a mess.”
“You should be angry,” the Dutch skipper demanded. Slot adhered to that brief but disagreed with the idea of questioning his players’ character.
The manager was specifically asked if his squad had lost their fight after six defeats in seven Premier League games. “No, no we haven’t,” he insisted. “But in moments of games we have lost too many duels.”
Slot argued it was a question of attention rather than attitude. “I think the last game we played we had 75% possession, which means you only have to defend 25% of the time and I think in and around our box we only had to defend four times,” the Dutch boss outlined.
“If I have to defend for half-an-hour I am in defend mode, so I just throw myself at every ball, but when our defenders and maybe even including the goalkeeper are thinking about ball possession and then in the moment they have to defend, we are not as switched on as we should be.”
‘Honest Talks’ Among Liverpool Squad
Cody Gakpo revealed that Van Dijk’s demands to take responsibility were not only made to the media. The entire Liverpool squad have been abundantly aware of their slipping standards.
“In the days after that [defeat to Forest] we were, I don’t want to say angry, but we tried to speak together and be honest with each other what we have to do to perform better on the pitch,” Gakpo revealed.
“Everybody is aware we have to take responsibility on and off the pitch. This was a conversation you have with a teammate. It wasn’t really a ‘meeting’ meeting but we are aware we have to take responsibility, that we have to do better with certain things on the pitch. That’s what we spoke about.”
Gakpo was keen to make it clear that it wasn’t an unconstructive witch hunt: “We also know we have to stick together and that’s what we will try to do again to put in good performances and get wins.” Andy Robertson preached the exact same message.
“It’s important now that people don’t lose the belief in their ability,” the Scot insisted, “the confidence that they have, and it’s important that we all stick together within the training ground.”
Slot Slams ‘Ridiculous,’ ‘Unbelievable’ Slump
The Premier League Champions are closer to the relegation zone than the top of the table. pic.twitter.com/7drCKD6zF0
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) November 24, 2025
While he didn’t take aim at his own players, the Dutch boss did not hold back in his assessment of the club’s recent form. Liverpool head into Wednesday’s Champions League clash with PSV Eindhoven on a run of eight defeats from their last 11 games, having been condemned to their joint-worst start in Premier League history.
“I would describe it as ridiculous, almost,” Slot sighed. “Something I did not expect to be in. Not at any club I was going to work at, let alone Liverpool. That is unbelievable.”
“[We are] conceding far more goals than last season,” the reigning Premier League champion moaned. “The amount of goals we have conceded and the amount of goals from set pieces is close to ridiculous for a club like us. The biggest one is the goals we concede. From open play, we are still able to generate enough chances to get a result.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arne Slot Rejects Virgil van Dijk’s Scathing Rant.
