Liverpool are in a crisis right now, and Arne Slot must find a way to make changes to his team and get them out of it if he wants to keep his job.
The Reds were held to a 1-1 draw by Sunderland at Anfield on Wednesday night, meaning they have won just four of their last 14 games in all competitions, leaving them eighth in the Premier League and 13th in the Champions League as we enter the festive period.
But while Liverpool has an abundance of quality in their squad, the Dutch boss is struggling badly to find a way to balance the side and get the best out of key players.
Slot Must Drop Gakpo to Save Liverpool Job
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Obviously, the issues at Anfield are bigger than any one person or position, but it has to be noted that Slot has limited options in some places.
Ibrahima Konate and Virgil Van Dijk are the senior central defenders in the squad, while Joe Gomez has recovered from injury to be available in recent games. But he has been forced to deputise at right-back, with Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong both injured.
But one place where there are plenty of options is in attack, and the manager must look to use players who are hungry and ready to stake their claim for a shirt.
Mohamed Salah has found himself on the bench for the last two games, a win over West Ham and the draw against Sunderland, while Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak have shared the striker position. Florian Wirtz has also been shifted around to try and find him a spot.
But starting both of those games was Netherlands international Cody Gakpo, and while he stood out against the Hammers, that was an anomaly for the way his season has gone so far. At the London Stadium he registered a goal and assist, but those were his first goal contributions for the Reds since he did the same against Frankfurt back in October, and Gary Neville has even labelled him as "absolutely useless" this season.
With all the big names struggling, the former PSV Eindhoven star, who earns £312,000-a-week, has gone under the radar with his struggles, but now Slot must take him out of the team if he wants to avoid more poor results and save his job.
Federico Chiesa Deserves a Liverpool Chance
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Slot has had Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha available for the vast majority of the season so far, but has been reticent to use either of them on a regular basis.
Chiesa, however, has stayed hungry and proven to be a valuable member of the squad. He may even have already saved Slot's job, having sprinted back the distance of the pitch to clear Wilson Isidor's effort off the line in stoppage time against Sunderland.
Now, he deserves an opportunity to play in his natural position as a forward from the start and claim his place in the starting lineup going forward. If he can't play when the team is struggling this badly, then it's quite obvious there is no point in him being in the squad or at the club at all.
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