Mohamed Salah has returned to action with Liverpool and Arne Slot needs to find a way of fitting his attacking puzzle together across the course of the next few months
04:00, 23 Jan 2026
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
Mohamed Salah is back and Liverpool suddenly looked much better in attack again. Correlation is not always causation — especially in this case — but the two things are linked to some degree nonetheless.
That Arne Slot managed to fit Salah into his team alongside the other pieces of his attacking jigsaw that are currently available, and that Liverpool looked much more fluid in doing so, can only be a good thing.
Florian Wirtz was allowed to float, Hugo Ekitike showed what he can do coming inside from the left, and Dominik Szoboszlai broke the deadlock. Even Cody Gakpo, who was initially left out but came off the bench, found the back of the net.
READ MORE: Thierry Henry weighs in on Arne Slot at Liverpool and makes comparison to Pep GuardiolaREAD MORE: Federico Chiesa injury update after Liverpool forward missed Marseille game
In looking so strong in a European game — perhaps, some might argue, the best Liverpool has played all season long — there was a clue about how Slot can get more from his side in the coming months.
Indeed, while Liverpool has struggled in the Premier League, only three teams are above it in the Champions League, leading to hopes that a lengthy run in that competition could be forthcoming.
It is not impossible to imagine that Liverpool — likely to be in the top eight spots after matchday eight concludes — could get a decent-looking last-16 tie.
It would only take one or two more favorable draws for the tournament to suddenly open up. With the Anfield factor to come into play as well, there will be those who are dreaming of Budapest.
Mohamed Salah and Florian Wirtz during the Champions League game between Marseille and Liverpool.
Mohamed Salah and Florian Wirtz aided a strong Champions League performance from Liverpool in Marseille.(Image: Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates /Getty Images)
With Salah and Wirtz combining well and the balance of the Liverpool attacking looking better than it has for some time, Slot got his tactical set-up spot on at the Stade Velodrome.
In addition to a more balanced attacking line-up that showed signs of working for Wirtz and Salah, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who signed for a combined sum of just under $93 million (£70 million), offered more positive glimpses about where they are heading and how they can best fit into the team.
Domestically, though, there is still a major question mark over whether Liverpool can translate its European form into games where opponents don't play so much into its hands.
Roberto De Zerbi had presumably not seen much of recent stalemates with the likes of Leeds United and Burnley, who left no gaps for Liverpool to exploit. The Italian instead set up his team in exactly the way that the Reds wanted.
Get LFC's 2025/26 season home and away kits
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Content Image
From $100
LFC.com
See the deal
Liverpool's home and away strips for the 2025/26 season are the first in their new partnership with adidas.
Fans can order jerseys in the US at Fanatics.com or via the LFC Online Store in both the US and across the world.
Salah had opportunities and Wirtz was allowed to roam. Szoboszlai ran the show and Frimpong was often left in acres of space.
While it doesn't say much for the standard of leagues elsewhere around the continent, there is a strong case that for about half of the teams in this season's Champions League, probably including Marseille, their level is at best that of 15th-placed Bournemouth — the team that Liverpool faces this weekend.
Article continues below
For all that Liverpool's European form is a positive thing, then, it is also important to contextualize it. Not everyone will set up in the same way that Marseille did, and Slot knows it; the oft-mentioned low block has been a familiar adversary.
Salah is back, and Liverpool looked much better in the south of France. Unfortunately, however, the real test of how long that will last won't be Marseille, but upcoming clashes with the likes of Sunderland, Nottingham Forest and West Ham.