West Ham 0-2 Liverpool
Arne Slot made the decision to drop Mo Salah to the bench for Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over West Ham United.
Chris Sutton suggested that Arne Slot was within his right to drop Mo Salah from Liverpool’s starting line-up - and now faces a ‘fascinating’ decision whether to restore the forward to his team.
Salah plundered 34 goals and 23 assists in all competitions to spearhead the Reds to the Premier League title last campaign. He was also rewarded with a two-year contract.
However, the Egypt international has endured his struggles - like plenty of Liverpool players - so far this term. Salah has managed only five goals in 18 appearances to date
After nine defeats in 12 matches in all competitions and head coach Slot coming under pressure to turn things around, he made the decision to bench Salah for the trip to West Ham. The decision proved correct as Liverpool earned a 2-0 triumph at the London Stadium, with Salah being an unused substitute.
Liverpool return to action when they face Sunderland at Anfield on Wednesday night. Sutton believes Slot would have justified his call by informing Salah has underperformed so far. But there might be a quandary regarding the Reds’ third all-time top scorer against Sunderland.
What’s been said
Speaking on the Monday Night Club, former Premier League-winning striker Sutton said: “All I think Arne Slot would do is maybe bring out some footage of him this season and some of his horrendous misses and say that's why you're not in the team and you haven't done enough.
“Arne Slot would have thought long and hard about it. I understand what you're saying about Salah and his ego but Arne Slot would have thought about that situation. It gets to such a point where the manager feels that he's under severe pressure and has to make a decision in the best interest of the team.
“He needs to win a game and if he thinks leaving Mo Salah out is the best thing to do because he needs a greater return in forward areas, he needs to win a game and he did. What happens next will be fascinating because the old adage is you can't change a winning team.”
‘He will be important for this club’
On his decision to bench Salah against West Ham, Slot said at his post-match press conference: “It's every time we play a game when I don't play Florian Wirtz, when I don't play Alexander Isak, when I don't play Hugo Ekitike, when I don't play Mo Salah. It's about that, which is normal because they're all outstanding players and Mo has had an unbelievable career here at this club – and will have a very good future at this club because he's such a special player.
“Four games in 10 days with only 14 to 15 outfield players available for us, then you have to decide once in a while to make a certain line-up and you try to pick the best line-up for every single game. Today, with the way they set up, with a full-back that is constantly very high and a winger that is constantly inside, I thought this could help the team. Like I said, he has been so important for this club and will be important for this club in the future.”
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