Manchester United icon Paul Scholes has claimed that Liverpool's bad form started on the back of head coach Arne Slot's visit to Ibiza, Spain, before the end of their Premier League title-winning campaign.
Paul Scholes slams Arne Slot's trip to Ibiza
Liverpool were confirmed as 2024-25 Premier League champions in April following a dominant 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in Anfield. However, after their 2-2 draw with Arsenal in May, Slot went to Ibiza and was seen partying at the famous O Beach Club, owned by Gary Lineker's brother Wayne.
Liverpool failed to win any of their last two league games of last season, as they lost against Brighton in their penultimate game and drew with Crystal Palace on the final day of the season-a period Scholes believes marked the beginning of their downfall.
The Reds did start the ongoing campaign on a strong note, but their performance declined as the season progressed, and they currently sit 12th in the Premier League table. Speaking on The Good, The Bad, and The Football, Scholes slammed Slot for his trip to Ibiza before the season finished, calling it 'disrespectful.'
"I think this started towards the end of last season, do you remember when they won the league? 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," Scholes said.
Liverpool's decline in performance reached a boiling point in their last game, where they faced a 3-0 defeat against relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest on Saturday at Anfield. The defeat equalled their biggest home defeat in the history of the Premier League, having lost to the same score line to West Ham in 2015, 4-1 to Chelsea (2005) and Manchester City (2021).
Liverpool boss Arne Slot feels sorry for ridiculous form ahead of game vs PSV
Arne Slot has described his team's decline in form as 'ridiculous' and 'unbelievable' ahead of their UEFA Champions League game against PSV. Speaking in a press conference ahead of Wednesday's game, Slot said of their disappointing form:
"I would describe it as ridiculous, almost. Something I did not expect to be in. Not at any club I was going to work at, let alone Liverpool. That is unbelievable. If you can find an excuse, you will never find enough excuses to make you perform like this. Unexpected for the club, for me and everyone.
"But I am working at a club where if you need to face it, this is the best club to face it. The harder it gets at a club like this, the more we are together to achieve the things Liverpool usually achieve."
Slot's team have been facing defensive issues, with Alisson Becker unable to stop back-to-back three-goal concessions for the first time since 1965 after their defeat to Manchester City and Forest. Defensive duo Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate have also seen their leadership questioned.