FAIR KOP TO DUB THIS A MESS

VVD fumes over flop but says: What am I going to do? Go home and cry?

- 

UNACCEPTABLE. Tough to take. Panic. Angry. A mess. Losing battles. Basic things.

Not the words of a pundit who sees only a crisis in a string of bad results. Not the words of a fan who thinks his elite side is not allowed to lose at home, no matter how accomplished the opponents' performance.

No, the words of Liverpool's captain, the team's leader, the players' representative, the club's figurehead on the field.

In his initial televised response to the loss to Nottingham Forest, Virgil van Dijk was suitably critical of his side's performance. Later, he suggested a deeper malaise had set in at the Premier League champions.

No names were named but the implication was clear. Some - or all - are not pulling their weight.