Graeme Souness believes Liverpool's players are as much to blame for a miserable season as head coach Arne Slot.
And the Anfield legend has questioned the attitude of the squad to do the basics and work hard with the Reds now in real danger of ending the campaign empty-handed.
Liverpool followed Saturday's dismal 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Manchester City with an underwhelming 2-0 loss at Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.
The Reds have now won only twice in their last eight games in all competitions and face a battle to clinch a top-five berth and Champions League qualification for next season.
FOLLOW LIVE COVERAGE OF ARNE SLOT'S PRESS CONFERENCE RIGHT HERE
And while Slot's position is under increasing scrutiny, former Liverpool captain and manager Souness is adamant the finger should also be pointed at the playing staff.
“I’m not looking straight at Arne Slot," he said. "I’m not saying he’s without blame - when you’re the manager, you’re answerable for everything that goes wrong - but I’d start with the players.
"There’s a stat out there showing they consistently run less than the opposition. That’s the starting point. You’re not working as hard.
“When you work hard with the ball it comes naturally - you’re moving to receive, creating angles, manipulating it. It’s when you don’t have the ball that the hard work really matters. I don’t think the pressing has been good enough, and that makes the back four vulnerable.
“The players in the dressing room have to look at themselves for what’s been an indifferent season."
Souness added: “In my Liverpool days, the message was simple: work as hard as the opposition and you’ll be fine because you’re good players. That hasn’t happened enough this season.
"For all the people who want to complicate the game with tactics and analysis, sometimes it’s basic - you’re not matching the opposition for effort.
"And when you’ve got the sort of quality Liverpool have, that’s what I would be saying to them: on your day you can beat anyone. But the first thing you need to do is match the opposition’s effort and Liverpool have not done that consistently this season.”
While outplayed by PSG in midweek, Liverpool have reserved many of their better performances of the campaign for the Champions League, notably beating fellow quarter-finalists Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid along with Marseille and Italian champions Inter Milan.
And speaking to Sky Bet on behalf of the ECHO, Souness added: “The Premier League is more demanding than anywhere else. The intensity is higher.
"And when they play European teams - I’m thinking of Italian football in particular – those leagues aren’t at the same level. Italy haven’t qualified for three consecutive World Cups. That tells you everything.
"The French league (Ligue 1) – one outstanding team. And I’m not sure how good Real Madrid and Barcelona are."
