Mohamed Salah has dropped to the bench for Liverpool’s trip to West Ham, with head coach Arne Slot insisting that the decision was purely due to the upcoming schedule.
Salah has been far from his best of late, though the same can be said of the majority of his teammates.
Either way, the announcement of Liverpool’s lineup for Sunday’s 2.05pm kickoff at West Ham brought a surprise with the Egyptian left out.
Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak replaced Salah and Hugo Ekitike in attack, and speaking to Sky Sports before the game, Slot was asked why he had dropped his No. 11.
?? "I have many good players and today, I chose a different line-up"
Arne Slot on why he's dropped Mo Salah to the Liverpool bench ? pic.twitter.com/gt6BLhZThk
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 30, 2025
“We have more players on the bench than just Mo, but I can understand that you ask the question about him,” he replied.
“We play four games in 10 days, I have many good players as you know, so for today I chose a different lineup.
“Sometimes Alex has been on the bench, sometimes Florian, so it’s always about players who are on the bench – which I can understand.
“But it’s also about the players who start. That’s the 11 I chose today.”
A chance for Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, November 30, 2025: Liverpool's Alexander Isak during the pre-match warm-up before the FA Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Liverpool FC at the London Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Questioned on the impact of omitting Salah and what he expects from his side against West Ham, Slot reiterated the need to rotate during a busy run to come.
“It’s never an easy decision that I have to make, because I have more than 11 good players,” he continued.
“It’s not the first time I’ve chosen not to play Mo.
“I did this at Galatasaray and Frankfurt, today as well, as I’ve sometimes chosen not to play Florian or not to play Alex or not to play Hugo.
“But for today, this is the lineup. Like I said, it’s four games in 10 days, which is a lot to ask with probably 14 to 15 players available.”
Liverpool will play Sunderland (Dec 3), Leeds (Dec 6) and Inter Milan (Dec 9) and Brighton (Dec 13) after their clash at the London Stadium, with the latter expected to be Salah’s last game before departing for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Only two players – ever-presents Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai (both 1,080) – had clocked more minutes on the pitch in the Premier League than Salah (1,075) prior to Sunday.