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Virgil van Dijk confesses he's been wrestling with "mixed emotions" throughout the international break following Liverpool's crushing defeat at Manchester City, which arrived after back-to-back victories.
The Reds have suffered seven defeats in their previous 10 matches, causing them to tumble from Premier League leaders down to eighth place. Their Carabao Cup ambitions were also crushed by Crystal Palace, as Arne Slot continues to search for a winning recipe.
Last season's champion, Liverpool, has virtually no room for mistakes if it's to defend its crown, yet it displayed glimpses of progress when defeating Aston Villa before overcoming Real Madrid just days later.
Both opponents were dispatched at Anfield, and Van Dijk drew encouragement from certain aspects of those performances, particularly the triumph over the Spanish team.
Nevertheless, the Dutchman believes that Liverpool must dig deeper, as it confronts its present predicament. The captain wrote in his programme notes: "We went into the recent international period with mixed emotions, I would say.
"Disappointment, for sure, at the manner in which we lost at Manchester City, but also encouragement at what came before that, with important, hard-fought and deserved victories over both Aston Villa and Real Madrid.
"We don't shy away from the truth at this club. We know that there is improvement to be found in our performance levels, and we know that the only way to find that improvement is through hard work and togetherness.
"I have said many times that I believe in the quality and the character of this squad, but we have to show it where it matters, which is out there on the field.
"We know what lies ahead over the next few months, but for now, our focus must be on the next game only. We fight for the win, we fight for the three points, and we go from there."
Liverpool welcomes Nottingham Forest, who became the first side to defeat them during the Slot era, to Anfield on Saturday.
Slot's team trails league leader Arsenal by eight points despite claiming victory in its opening five matches.
Following their September setback against Crystal Palace, the Reds have also suffered defeats to the likes of Chelsea and Brentford.
This run of disappointing results has led some observers to write off Liverpool's championship aspirations entirely - though Slot acknowledges that such discussions are premature.
"I think I've said many times already that at this moment of time we are not even thinking or talking about that," he said.
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