Arne Slot has admitted “it is not nice” to see Mo Salah on the bench, while ruling out Dominik Szoboszlai as a long-term solution on the right wing.
With Salah on the sidelines, Slot played a 4-2-3-1 in possession with Szoboszlai on the right, dropping deeper when defending to create more of a 4-3-3.
This worked well for Liverpool as the Hungarian’s role contributed to greater defensive solidity in front of Joe Gomez at right-back.
However, Slot told media including the Liverpool Echo: “I don’t see Dominik as a right-winger for the long-term future in this club.
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, November 30, 2025: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot with Dominik Szoboszlai during the FA Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Liverpool FC at the London Stadium. Liverpool won 2-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
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“Dominik is a midfielder who could help us out as a full-back or as a winger if needed, but he’s more of a midfielder than he is a full-back or winger.
“I don’t expect to be in February and March and every single game Dominik is playing there.
“A thing that was important for me to do is that in some other games we were going more man-to-man than in this game, so the last line of four could stay more in place.
“Dominik, as we all know, runs for two and that was helpful in that game, [but] in the long-term future, we should have wingers playing as wingers, midfielders playing as midfielders and defenders playing as defenders.”
Arne Slot admits “not nice” to Mo Salah on the bench
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, November 30, 2025: Liverpool's substitute Mohamed Salah on the bench before the FA Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Liverpool FC at the London Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
For Liverpool’s trip to West Ham, Salah began a Premier League match on the bench for the first time since April 2024, coincidentally also at the London Stadium.
This provided a glimpse of how Liverpool could set up while he is at AFCON, which he leaves for after Liverpool play Brighton on December 13.
The Reds beat West Ham 2-0 but Slot insisted he still would “prefer to see Mo on the pitch.”
Slot said: “It is not a nice thing for you, not for a Liverpool fan and not for me, a player that has been so important for us – you want to see him on the pitch.
“I prefer to see Mo on the pitch, scoring his goals and doing something special, rather than the camera being on him when he isn’t in the game.
“He has been so important for us for so many years and he will be important for us in the coming days, because it is days as he goes to the AFCON.”