In this latest column, John Aldridge discusses a big call from Arne Slot and why Liverpool need to back up their win at West Ham United
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool applauds from the bench during the Premier League match at West Ham United on November 30 2025
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool applauds from the bench during the Premier League match at West Ham United on November 30 2025
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First things first. Mohamed Salah has not had his day as a Liverpool player. But there comes a time when even the very best have to be taken out of the firing line if they aren’t reaching the level required.
And it was intriguing that Liverpool got the job done against West Ham United on Sunday with Salah not even coming off the bench. The Reds also won 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League when the Egyptian was restricted to just a late cameo.
I’m not saying his absence was the reason for those victories. But the fact is when Salah isn’t at it, it’s almost as though Liverpool are playing with 10 men at present. And there have been too many games recently where he simply hasn’t been anywhere near his best.
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I really don’t want to knock Mo because the contribution he has made to this club is unbelievable. And I am fully convinced he will have a part to play in the coming games before he heads off to the Africa Cup of Nations.
But the fans aren’t daft. They know there have been games where Salah has been the obvious player to be substituted and it simply hasn’t happened.
Salah has been a Liverpool superstar in the mould of Billy Liddell, Roger Hunt, Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan, and deserves to be in such company. He is a Liverpool legend.
But even if you are Pele, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, if you’re not playing well then you need to be substituted and, on occasion, you need to be dropped. Nobody, not even the best players of all time, are perfect.
It’s why I’d like to see Salah remain on the bench against Sunderland, and I’d like to think when he does play again he’ll be fired up to prove Arne Slot wrong.
One player who needs to stay in the team, though, is Joe Gomez. I’ve always been a fan of his, he gives you everything no matter where he’s playing whether it’s centre-back, left-back, defensive midfield or, as was the case at West Ham, at right-back.
The only issue is that he has been injury-prone because, in terms of talent, there’s a reason he’s been at Liverpool more than a decade.
We needed defensively stability and Gomez provided that at right-back. Going forward he’s not Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong or Trent Alexander-Arnold, but defensively he’s better than any of them.
Keeping him fit could be imperative for Liverpool over the next few weeks as they need his experience.
On the other flank, Milos Kerkez was again quietly impressive and that’s because he is improving his levels of concentration.
He’s come from a good but relatively small club at Bournemouth to a much bigger club at Liverpool where the expectation is significantly higher.
Every mistake is analysed when you’re at Liverpool, and that’s something that does take some getting used to.
Slot can't let it slip
Liverpool have been on their worst run of form since the 1950s, and managers don’t get paid to get the club in that position.
Whether it is the fault of the players or the manager, the way to get back on the horse is collectively.
But it starts with the manager. He’s the one who takes the flak and he’s the one who has to front up week after week, game after game.
It was a major, major blip but let’s hope that has now gone and we all stick together and kick on.
We thought we had done that when we beat Aston Villa and Real Madrid but it turned out not to be the case. We can’t make that mistake again.
It doesn’t matter how we grind out wins, but Sunderland at home and Leeds United are two games where we can take three points.
That said, Sunderland have been brilliant this season, especially given I gave them no chance staying up after watching them win promotion through the play-offs.
They have recruited superbly since then and are capable of giving anyone a game.
Then comes the trip to Leeds United, and Elland Road is a great venue and any player should enjoy performing there. It’s the kind of stadium to bring the best out of you.