Gary Neville said the “severity and immediacy” of Liverpool’s recent downturn was a major concern for head coach Arne Slott and said it was “unacceptable”.
Liverpool lost 3-0 to Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday, their sixth defeat in seven Premier League games and their worst start to the season since 2014.
Captain Virgil van Dijk implored his team-mates to “look in the mirror”, but Slott himself insisted they “look at themselves” as his side have lost 50 per cent of their league games this season and are 13 points worse off than at this stage last season.
“What’s unusual is the severity and immediacy of that decline and the worrying signs that are emerging,” Neville said on the podcast. “A blip is losing one or two games, but when you start losing three or four games, you have to do something.
“With Liverpool Football Club, you can’t lose six out of seven games. That’s not acceptable. The manager has to help them by changing his style and system. That means being more solid, which means changes in personnel.[Milos]Kerkes is struggling,[Ibrahima]Konate is also struggling.”
“I made that call a few weeks ago and said Joe Gomez should play as a narrow back four, with right-back and Andy Robertson at left-back. “Let’s be a little more realistic. Something has to change within the team.”
“From a personal perspective, everything needs to go back to basics: sleep, stretching, diet, small details. Everything needs to get better.”
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Neville admits he was stunned by Liverpool’s home defeat to Nottingham Forest
Neville believes such an extraordinary first season in charge means Slott has plenty of “credibility” as he takes over from Jurgen Klopp and fights for the Premier League title, but says the Dutchman must make “difficult decisions” to reverse this recent trend.
“Last year, after Klopp left, I thought Liverpool would go through a similar experience this season. What Slott did was insane. Liverpool expect to win the title and you don’t expect them to lose six out of seven games in any season. He’s causing problems for himself.”
“Slot is a great manager with real class, but he’s got to turn around and do something different. He might make some difficult decisions. He’ll be under pressure. Let’s not get too carried away with it. If the players don’t step up, it’s going to be a problem.”
Liverpool’s biggest player is missing
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Premier League highlights of Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest
Analysis by Laura Hunter at Anfield:
There is no doubt that Murillo was the star of the show at both ends of the pitch during Liverpool’s record low against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, but the biggest concern for Slott will be the unsung stars of his show. Liverpool’s biggest players have gone missing.
Mohamed Salah got off to a strong start, but his form quickly deteriorated. Federico Chiesa produced more xG values than him and played 68 minutes less. Alexander Isaac never existed. By the time he fell in love with Chiesa, he had lost all seven duels. He is the only player from Liverpool’s Premier League era to start his first four games, all of which ended in defeat. If you look at the performance, you’ll see that there’s a good reason for that.
Alexis Mac Allister fumbled Liverpool’s only big chance, but it came before Forest had taken the lead and could easily have led to a different result. The Anfield crowd were forgiving up to a point, but you could hear them getting fed up towards the end. How can a team with a 74 percent share of possession allow enough chances to score three goals? The hosts finished the game with two midfielders playing past the defensive line. Perhaps that explains it.
There is no doubt that the crisis has turned into a catastrophe and shows no signs of slowing down. Slott needs a comprehensive review of their failures and a plan to stem the tide before this rapidly devolves into the most despicable title defense attempt in Premier League history.
Liverpool’s next 5 games
Sunday, November 30th 1pm
Kickoff 2:05pm
November 26: PSV Eindhoven (H), Champions League
30 November: West Ham (A), Premier League, live on Sky Sports
December 3: Sunderland (H), Premier League, live on Sky Sports
6 December: Leeds (A), Premier League, live on Sky Sports
December 9: Inter Milan (A), Champions League
