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Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes that Liverpool's poor form started at the end of last season, after slamming a 'classless' Arne Slot in a recent podcast.
Liverpool's domestic misery continued on Saturday with a 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, the eighth loss in 11 games. Several changes were made this summer, most notably a roster overhaul, as $586 million was spent on new talent, while $340 million was generated from sales.
Although the blame has been shared among those starting for Liverpool amid a crisis, Scholes believes that Slot failed to prepare for this season, and even claimed that the head coach took his foot off the gas earlier this year. Liverpool dominated the Premier League last season, but struggled after clinching the title.
After Liverpool clinched the Premier League last season, fans rejoiced as Slot flew to Ibiza to celebrate at Wayne Lineker's O Beach Club. Slot was seen partying in the DJ booth, despite not yet lifting the Premier League trophy.
Slot's celebrations also took place while Liverpool players trained in Dubai, but the team had gone winless in its last four games of the previous season. While the pressure was off and players celebrated a second Premier League title in five years, Scholes believes it has impacted this season.
"I think this started toward the end of last season. Do you remember when they won the league?" Scholes asked fellow former United star Nicky Butt on The Good, The Bad, and The Football podcast. "The bad form started, they went away, went to Ibiza or something.
"Honestly, Arne Slot was DJing. DJing in Ibiza. But that's before the season's done, that's what I mean. I think that's disrespectful, before the season's done. I think it's classless."
Liverpool is still performing well in the Champions League, with three wins from four games, but has already been eliminated from the EFL Cup and is struggling in the Premier League. Liverpool sits 12th in the standings and has won only once since a 2-1 victory over Everton on September 20.
Speaking after Liverpool's latest defeat to Forest, Slot said: "It is my responsibility. If we win or lose, it is my responsibility. But what I also see is the team and, by the way, our fans as well stay until the end, support the team until the end, and the players keep on trying until the end.
"What I also saw today, but it wasn't at City - and at City we are not the only team that struggles in the first half - and in every other game we've played, we've been the dominant team and we were able to create chances.
"Like I said, lately it is almost constantly that we miss our chances and then ones go in that we concede, but that will never continue throughout the whole season. We need to have that moment of energy of scoring a goal.
"If you are playing well and you go 1-0 up, the other team feels, 'We've played half an hour now and we are 1-0 down and we've hardy seen the ball…' The opposite thing happened - they got a big, big, big energy boost from scoring the 1-0.
"I see a lot of things where in a normal situation the result would have been different, but we are now in a difficult situation and then you need to do even more to get your results than when things go in your favour."
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