Arne Slot’s decision to start Mohamed Salah against Bournemouth backfired, raising fresh concerns about the forward’s form since his return from the Africa Cup of Nations
19:31, 24 Jan 2026
Liverpool manager Arne Slot looks towards Mohamed Salah
Arne Slot handed Mohamed Salah his first Premier League start since November(Image: Getty Images)
Arne Slot's decision to start Mohamed Salah against Bournemouth backfired, raising fresh concerns for Liverpool.
Salah, who has long been one of Liverpool’s most influential players, was handed his first Premier League start since November by Slot at the Vitality Stadium. The Egyptian played the full 90 minutes in the win against Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday, marking his first Liverpool appearance in over a month following his Africa Cup of Nations duties, and retained his place in the starting lineup.
Despite not getting on the scoresheet, Salah was generally lively midweek and showed how he can fit into Slot's attacking plan to try and help the Reds secure their first Premier League victory in 2026.
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But Salah looked off the pace throughout the game; his usually sharp movements and instinctive runs appeared sluggish.
During the first half, a neat one-two between Salah and Florian Wirtz on the right edge of the penalty area created a shooting opportunity for the Egyptian, but his effort sailed over the bar.
Former England goalkeeper Rob Green on BBC Radio 5 Live at Vitality Stadium said: "Wild in the end from Mo Salah. Leaning back and no accuracy in the strike."
Moments later, Salah was put through down the right. But instead of shooting, he tried to square the ball to Cody Gakpo, and ultimately found a defender.
Salah didn't threaten after the break, either. "We haven't seen much of Salah in the second half," noted former Arsenal striker Alan Smith while commentating on the game for Sky Sports.
Slot has previously stated that man-management is “by far” the most important part of his role, which is why leaving Salah out had left him feeling “uneasy.” The pair have since reached an uneasy truce following Salah’s explosive comments in December, when he claimed he had been “thrown under a bus.”
Mohamed Salah
Salah has struggled against Bournemouth(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
After starting three consecutive matches on the bench, Salah said he no longer had “any relationship” with the head coach and suggested that “someone didn’t want him at the club,” comments that underlined the strain in their working relationship.
“I always find it uneasy if I leave a player out and even more a player that has meant a lot for this club,” Slot said ahead of the Bournemouth game.
“You can work with a player for a long time and you have had success with them, but part of my job is making the decision that I think is the best for the team. You can work with a player for a long time and you have had success with them, but part of my job is making the decision that I think is the best for the team.
"I think every player knows that a manager needs to make decisions, and I think every player 99 out of 100 times is disagreeing with the manager if he doesn’t play. It should be like that because if you don’t have confidence in yourself then it is hard to play in front of 60,000 people. These players should have confidence that, 'I am good enough to play and I should play.'
"I am not talking solely about Mo, but everyone now. I think it is always hard for any player who is left out because they want to help and show they are able to help the team. Mo is definitely one of them. He is not a player who says ‘leave me out for five times in a row’ – everyone has seen that. But everyone is the same in that regard."
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Liverpool went on to lose 3-2 to Bournemouth on Saturday.