Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk encouraged his teammates to “look in the mirror” after the Reds slumped to a fourth straight league loss on Saturday night.
The Dutch skipper did not absolve himself of blame, but it was telling that he also called upon “the people that were celebrating with us last year” to show up in these times of strife.
Van Dijk was one of several players who struggled during Liverpool’s 3–2 defeat away to Brentford this weekend. The towering centre back never got to grips with Igor Thiago’s physical game and gave away a second-half penalty which the Brazilian converted.
During his postmatch press duties with TNT Sports, Van Dijk let out a long sigh before lamenting: “The fact is that we didn’t keep clean sheets for nine games. It’s easy then to blame a particular person or the back line or set pieces, but it’s a collective thing in the end as well. Everyone has to look in the mirror, including myself.
“That’s what we all do and that’s what we all have discussed as well. I’m sure we will get out of this, but we don’t get out of this just by talking about it,” Van Dijk stressed.
Four Premier Leagues losses in a row. Hard times for Liverpool. pic.twitter.com/i9HKmQwHYN
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) October 25, 2025
“We’ll try to improve, that’s what we work on; it’s not that we’re doing nothing in training or nothing behind the scenes. We all want to improve, that’s why we’re on the pitch as well. But it’s tough at the moment.
“We need each other, we need the support, we need the people that were celebrating with us as well last year to be there for us now even more, and then I’m very confident that we will get out of this because we have the quality offensively, defensively.
“But the reality is we are looking for a clean sheet but definitely for a win again. That’s the reality.”
Liverpool have conceded 21 goals across 14 matches this term. They had let in nine at this stage of last season. Over the last four games alone, the defending champions have shipped eight goals, thanks in part to a worryingly repeatable tactic being deployed by several opponents.
Arne Slot: We Have Not Found an Answer Yet
As much as Arne Slot may not like it, the long-ball game is well and truly alive once again in England. And no side is more aware of this reality than Liverpool.
The Reds have faced 710 long balls this season, representing 23% of the total passes attempted by their opponents. That is both the highest total and ratio for any team in England’s top flight. It is a clear tactic, and one that’s working.
The one side which didn’t go long against Liverpool, Eintracht Frankfurt, were beaten in midweek. As Slot outlined, by keeping the ball on the deck in their own defensive third, the Reds had ample opportunity to press the Bundesliga outfit into oblivion.
The issue is obvious but, rather concerningly, the solution has not yet presented itself to Slot. “It is definitely that teams have a certain playing style against us; it is a very good strategy to play. We have not found an answer yet,” he admitted.
“Going 1–0 down does not help after five minutes. We are still, even today, when we don’t play well, able to score two goals.
“But you cannot compete, which we don’t do at the moment, because we concede too many goals. That is not only the defence you do it with 11 players together.”
Liverpool are up against Crystal Palace next. The Eagles have already twice beaten Slot’s side this season and are already inclined to go direct when the situation calls for it—only two teams in the division have a higher ratio of long passes than Palace this season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Virgil van Dijk Sends Four-Word Warning to Liverpool Teammates.