Virgil van Dijk wants Liverpool’s players to take responsibility for their poor form.
Saturday’s 3-0 reversal to Nottingham Forest marked a sixth defeat for the fallen Premier League champions from their seven previous domestic outings.
Arne Slot’s side also suffered their heaviest home league loss in four years which plunged them into the table’s bottom half and leaves their title defence in tatters.
The Dutchman is under growing scrutiny in the wake of the dismal run, but Van Dijk believes that the Reds’ dressing room bears its own culpability in the malaise.
“It’s tough for everyone,” admitted the Liverpool captain.
“What I want is for everyone to take responsibility on the pitch. We have to do that in order to push each other, to make each other better.
“When someone is pressing, you have to follow the press. It’s basic things but it’s not happening enough. We have to get back to that.
“It’s easy to maybe just think about your own situation rather than the collective side when things not going well.
“All of us, not just the starters but those who can make an impact from the bench, have to think about that. But that doesn’t take away [that] it’s a very difficult time.”
He added: “Thinking about last year, which I don’t like to do that much, we had a new manager and no-one knew what to expect, that’s a different approach to us of opponents and the consistency we had last year was incredible.
“This season we don’t have any consistency, we concede far too many goals, we are losing battles and everyone is responsible for it and I hope everyone sees that.
“We have to take responsibility to turn this around and it is easy to point fingers but you have to do it together. We have been through it together and won the league.
“Everyone was part of it and happy and when you go through a tough time, you have to stick together and not point fingers.
“You have to be a man and face the toughness and go again, again and again because if you want to give up then you are at the wrong place in my eyes.
“Because this club has been going through many adversity over those years and we’ve always come out of it. But it doesn’t mean it is easy.
“It’s tiring but there is no other way. Wednesday is another game [against PSV in the Champions League] so what am I going to do, go home and cry?
“No, I’m going to go home and try to think how we can turn this around and hopefully that is what everyone is doing as well.”