18 hours ago
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Cody Gakpo has admitted he was "embarrassed" by Liverpool's 3-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, and reiterated Virgil van Dijk's claims that the team needs to take responsibility for the disappointing run of results in recent months.
The Reds put in another poor performance at the weekend, losing heavily at home to a side that started the day in the Premier League relegation zone. Despite a good opening half hour against Forest, the team's confidence disappeared after conceding from a 33rd-minute corner.
That has led to questions about Liverpool's battling qualities in recent days, especially after Van Dijk expressed his frustration in the wake of the latest defeat.
Gakpo, speaking ahead of a reunion with his former side PSV Eindhoven in midweek, gave some insight into the team reaction following that bruising Forest defeat.
"After the game on Saturday, it was a kind of embarrassment because we lost 3-0 at home in front of our own fans, which is not good," said the Dutch international.
"We know they are here to help us in every tough situation but we have to give them something back as well.
"In the days after that, we were, I don't want to say angry, but we tried to speak together and be honest with each other what we have to do to perform better on the pitch.
"We also know we have to stick together and that’s what we will try to do again to put in good performances and get wins.
"Everybody is aware we have to take responsibility on and off the pitch," Gakpo continued. "This was a conversation you have with a team-mate.
"We are aware we have to take responsibility, that we have to do better with certain things on the pitch. That's what we spoke about. We are honest because otherwise there's no point in speaking."
Slot took responsibility after Saturday's loss, but Gakpo defended his under-fire boss before Wednesday's Champions League encounter.
"If you win a lot of matches and everything is going your way, you always feel better than when you are losing," opined Gakpo.
"We know how good we are, we have let that be seen [at times] this season and definitely last season.
"We just have to do better. The trainer takes responsibility for that but the players have a big responsibility to ourselves and the manager and the fans. We know what we can do, but we aren't letting it be seen. I definitely take responsibility for it."
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