Liverpool's Egyptian star Mohamed Salah has yet to replicate the kind of form that won him the Premier League Golden Boot award last season, as he struggled in the defeat to Manchester United
Mohamed Salah unhappy
Mohamed Salah has struggled of late, and looked a long way off his best against Manchester United
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Liverpool have suffered a difficult start to their title defence season, and many players in Arne Slot's squad are not hitting the heights they displayed last season, or the promise that was on show before they joined the Reds - and some fans in the Liverpool Echo comments section say that it's time for Mohamed Salah to lose his status as the undroppable starter.
Despite getting some important early points on the board that had them leading the Premier League until just before the international break, Liverpool have not been at their best since the campaign began. Arne Slot's side have lost four games in a row in all competitions, and they will need to rediscover their form if they're to stop their rivals from leaving them behind.
Some fingers have been pointed at Mohamed Salah, who hasn't made the same impact he had on last season's runaway title charge. He has scored just three times, once from open play, and he doesn't nearly as dangerous in this revamped squad.
Speaking about Salah, ex-player and pundit Jamie Carragher said: "I think we're at that stage now where Mo Salah shouldn't be a guaranteed starter every week. I do think this is a real conundrum for the manager going forward. I don't think Salah should be like a Virgil van Dijk where it's like 'first name on the teamsheet'."
Some fans agree that Slot should be dropping Salah in order to improve the team's fortunes. Reader MichaelW2 says: "I'm thinking with Mo, it's a season too far. I now wish he'd gone at the end of last season and we had Mbeumo in his place (and not because he scored yesterday, I do rate him highly).
"Now he's 33, yes still extremely fit, but some spark is missing. As someone has mentioned here, it's time to give Federico Chiesa a run on the right wing. He looks more capable of scoring presently than Mo Salah does, just my opinion of course."
Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa looks on during the Premier League game with Man Utd.
Some feel it's time for forward Federico Chiesa to get his chance in the side
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Commenter Wirtzthanever writes: "Salah doesn't fit this Slot system anymore. Chiesa does though, and he should be starting over Mo. it's about current form, not last season or the one before."
Darwinism says that Salah is still the best option: "I didn't see anyone else doing much better. You can't just drop someone for not being as good as they were a few months ago, there needs to be someone better to take his place. There are plenty of players I'd drop before him."
Faithanne writes: "Mohamed Salah is a shadow of himself at the moment, because Arne Slot refuses to use the players that will allow him to be the player that he once was. Until that happens I am afraid Liverpool will continue on a downward trend and could find themselves in serious trouble.
"Saying that though, perhaps time is catching up on him and using him as a super-sub may well be better than dropping him completely."
Liverpool manager Arne Slot pats Mohamed Salah on the stomach
Liverpool manager Arne Slot isn't getting the best out of Mohamed Salah this season
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Samsongforyou says: "My issue with Salah is twofold: First, he seems reluctant to help the team when it's under pressure. He keeps playing like everyone else will clear up once he loses the ball. Gakpo's ball retention has also been horrendous.
"Second, he's not really playing to the strengths of the new players in the team. 'Football chemistry' is really just a willingness to work together. With some players it clicks rather quickly because their 'natural games' complement each other. This isn't the case for us, so Salah, as a leader, needs to help the team by adapting the way he plays to bring more out of the other players. They are also having to adapt the way they previously played."
Wudwudley calls for a decisive move: "Stop prevaricating over Salah, he has run his race and should be left out. He isn’t scoring but he also contributes nothing else, poor passing and no defensive effort at all. Time to go in January."
Have your say! Is Mohamed Salah the best player in the Liverpool team? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.