Virgil Van Dijk, Arne Slot react to 'big blow' after Liverpool lose to Nottingham Forest - ‘I'm not a quitter'

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Liverpool sit 11th in the Premier League and face an uphill battle to retain their title after a disappointing start to their current campaign. Their 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest was their fourth of the last five league games, and speaking after their defeat on Saturday, both captain Virgil van Dijk and manager Arne Slot attempted to strike a positive tone.

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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk admitted Liverpool "were not good" as they lost 3-0 at home to Nottingham Forest but protested "I am not a quitter".

The first game back after the international break ended in a disaster for the home side at Anfield as Sean Dyche’s men routed Liverpool.

Liverpool sit 11th after 12 games in a season that seems certain to end with them giving up their Premier League title, and their sixth defeat of the season means they have lost four of their last five league games.

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Speaking to the BBC after the match, Dutch veteran Van Dijk did not hold back in his assessment.

He said: "We concede too many easy goals. They scored, obviously, from a set-piece again. You can ask if he was in front of Alisson, but it counted, so we're 1-0 down. We were not good in terms of battles, challenges, the fight, too rushed. It's a very difficult situation at the moment.

"There was nervousness after we conceded, but not before. We tried to rush things and that's human when you're in a difficult moment. We cleared the ones before and in the end. We're in a very difficult moment. We don't get out of it by just speaking about it. It will take a lot of hard work.

"It's a problem. Everyone in the team has to take responsibility as well. Football is a team and everyone has to take responsibility. We have to digest this and take it on the chin. We need to work harder. We have to keep going.

"Everyone is disappointed, like they should be, because losing at home to Nottingham Forest is, in my eyes, very bad. That's the least I can say about it.

"Those goals we conceded are far too easy, and we all have to look in the mirror. I've been at this club so long now, and we've been through adversity. We will bounce back, but it doesn't happen overnight. I'm not a quitter, and we will keep going.

"I can't decide what the supporters are doing if they leave early. I know the fans have been through thick and thin with us. They will be there with us when we come out of this because we will come out of this."

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot discussed the psychological aspect of the defeat, while largely backing the idea that his players did not want for confidence.

He told Sky Sports: "The first half-hour, I think, the players did what you were hoping for, played with a lot of energy, created enough chances to go all-up. But then we conceded a set-piece and that changed the momentum and the game completely.

"Afterwards, I think we struggled a lot to find openings, to find chances that we were able to find in the first half-hour.

"So I tried to make a couple of changes, to make a couple of adjustments that didn't work out the way you wanted. I wanted to, so it was a big disappointment. And I said it just a second ago. In the end, when things go well, [or] things don't go well, in the end, it's always my responsibility.

Asked whether it was a matter of lacking confidence, he added: "I don't feel this, and I don't see this also in the first half-hour.

"But what you do see is that after we went 1-0 down, we struggled afterwards, struggling in the sense that we weren't able to create as many chances as the half-hour before.

"You try to pump them up, try to give them the information they need to start the second half well, and immediately after we started the second half we conceded the 2-0.

"That, again, is a big blow for us and a big boost in confidence for them. And the players kept on trying, I cannot blame them on that. But it was very difficult for us to find an opening, and when we had an opening they blocked every single shot we had."

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