Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has pulled no punches in his assessment of the club's season, branding it "unacceptable" after a crushing 18th defeat across all competitions.

The Dutch defender's stark verdict came after Arne Slot's side fell 3-2 to Manchester United at Old Trafford—a result that extended their miserable run to 11 league losses in a title defence that has gone horribly wrong. To put that in perspective, the last reigning champions to lose more Premier League games were Leicester City, who suffered 18 defeats back in 2016-17.

"I'm not here to make excuses," Van Dijk said bluntly. "It's been a very disappointing season, an unacceptable season, and it's tough. We shouldn't feel sorry for ourselves whatsoever. We have to work and turn this around and make sure that next season these things don't happen. It's not Liverpool."

Despite the gloom, there's still a glimmer of hope: Liverpool need just four points from their final three matches to secure Champions League qualification. For a club of Liverpool's stature, that's the bare minimum—but after a campaign that's seen them lose more games than any defending champion in a decade, it feels like a lifeline.

"I think it's unacceptable that we have lost too many times as defending champions of the Premier League, and we shouldn't accept it," Van Dijk continued. "There will be a lot of work that has to be done going into next season. When I am back from the World Cup, I will go into it, but there is a lot of work to be done behind the scenes."

The 34-year-old captain, who has been a rock through both glory and struggle, made it clear he's not abandoning ship. "I care so much about this club. I know that it has been a tough season, but I will always be there in good and lesser good days."

But the message was clear: this cannot happen again. "We have three games left, and the realisation has to come from ourselves, as a group and as players, to make sure that we are in the Champions League—because of the impact it has on the financial side for the club, but also because we want to be playing against the best teams in Europe."

For Liverpool fans, the hope is that Van Dijk's words mark the beginning of a reset—one that brings the Reds back to the standards that made them champions in the first place.