Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has struggled for form this season, scoring just four goals in the Premier League, and Arne Slott has been sent a message about his place in the squad.
The African Cup of Nations is said to be the perfect opportunity to lure Mohamed Salah away from the Liverpool squad, according to Arne Slott. The Egyptian forward has struggled to find consistency this season after his standout performance last year.
He has scored five goals in 16 appearances in all competitions, after scoring an impressive 34 goals for Liverpool en route to the Premier League title.
Despite that success, Slott revamped their attacking options, bringing in Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirths for a total of around £250m. But these moves didn’t pay off right away, with Ekitike being the only one of the trio to do so right away.
Salah is also not doing well and there are growing calls for the Egyptian to be benched. And former Reds midfielder Don Hutchinson believes AFCON, which starts next month, will give Slot the perfect chance to play alongside new signings, a combination that could stick after Salah’s return.
Hutchinson said in an interview with TEAMtalk: “If you want to put a positive spin on it, any team in the Premier League would like Wirtz, Isak and Salah. Now, Slot’s job is to put those three, along with Ekitike, in the same XI.” It’s about figuring out a formula to get them in because you can’t spend that much money on Wirtz, Isaac and Ekitike and tell them to compete for a spot on the team. They have to be starters now.”
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“You’ll really want to play with all three of those players from now until the end of the season to improve their form, their goals, their chemistry and their league position. I know there’s a big jump between now and the end of the season, but that’s what’s going to happen for Liverpool as a team and as individuals. That’s what I’ll look at.”
“So the uncomfortable conversation is about why we don’t have Mo Salah in that team anymore and how. Maybe the African Cup of Nations is the time to test that!”
Liverpool manager Arne Slott has already shared his thoughts on Salah’s form, insisting it is of little concern. The Dutchman said in a press conference last month: “The important thing is that he has always scored goals for Liverpool.
“My biggest fear is that Mo will score again. He’s been doing that all his life and I think he’ll score again in the coming weeks and months.”
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Salah is currently away on international duty with Egypt, but it was another difficult trip for the Liverpool man as the Pharaohs lost 2-0 to Uzbekistan in a friendly on Friday.
Salah’s first chance to regain form domestically comes next weekend, when Liverpool welcome Nottingham Forest to Anfield on Saturday.
Like Salah, the Reds have endured a difficult start to the new season. The reigning champions have lost five of their opening 11 games this season and currently sit eighth in the Premier League. Their most recent match was a 3-0 defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
However, Liverpool got off to a better start in their recent Champions League campaign, winning three of their first four games in the league stage.
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