Steve Nicol has issued a caution to Arne Slot, stating it would be a 'big mistake' to reinstate Mohamed Salah into Liverpool's starting XI against Sunderland. The Egyptian remained on the bench as the Reds secured a 2-0 victory over West Ham United on Sunday.
The 33-year-old was a constant fixture in Slot's starting line-up last season, playing a key role as Liverpool clinched the Premier League title.
Consequently, the journey to London marked the first time he had been named on the bench in the English top-flight since his infamous sideline clash with former manager Jurgen Klopp prior to coming on at West Ham back in April 2024.
The Reds bounced back from consecutive heavy defeats to Man City, Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven, securing a much-needed win at the London Stadium with goals from Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, while Salah watched from the sidelines.
With nine losses in their last 13 matches across all competitions, this victory propelled Liverpool to eighth place in the table, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Last season, Salah was Liverpool's standout player, sweeping up individual awards and clinching both the Golden Boot and Playmaker prizes after netting 29 goals and providing 18 assists in the English top-flight.
However, with Liverpool enduring a difficult season, he has been unable to replicate such form. The forward has managed four goals and two assists from 12 Premier League appearances so far this campaign, and has come under growing criticism for his underwhelming performances.
Former Liverpool player Steve Nicol
Former Liverpool player Steve Nicol (Image: ESPN FC)
Dominik Szoboszlai was selected in his position on the right wing against West Ham as Florian Wirtz recovered from injury to feature at No. 10.
And having been impressed by the Reds' enhanced performance in the capital, Liverpool legend Nicol urged Slot to keep Salah on the bench when Sunderland visit Anfield on Wednesday night.
"He has to (leave him on the bench). He has to," he said on ESPN. "Absolutely (they're better without him).
"You need to start from the back, you need the base to be right, to be solid and you need to stop giving goals away. You can't expect to score three or four goals every week to win a game.
"If he goes back (into the side) and breaks that shape up... at least they were solid defensively, because of Szoboszlai.
"Okay, he wasn't standing wide the way Mo does and just stands there and waits for the ball. He's getting involved, he's getting back inside, he's helping his full-back.
"The whole shape defensively was miles better. They're not going to get better if they just all of a sudden go back to what they were doing and teams start streaming through them again.
"You've got to look after the base, the solid structure that they had. Yes, it's against West Ham, but it was a solid structure. There was no real drama, no running all over the place, no holes. That's what you've got to go from.
Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot
Arne Slot has been urged to keep Mohamed Salah on the bench (Image: Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport via Getty Images)
"If he (Slot) changes it and brings Mo Salah back against Sunderland, to me that's a big mistake."
Slot addressed his decision to rest Salah both before and after the West Ham victory, whilst also providing hints about whether the Egyptian would return to the starting XI for the Sunderland fixture.
"We play a lot of games. In 10 days we played four," the Dutchman told Match of the Day. "These players are such quality players. Mo has been so important for the club and will be so important for the club so let's see what happens on Wednesday [against Sunderland]."