Mohamed Salah had red flags.
He wasn’t feeling well. Critics were starting to back him up. The game was fast and furious for Liverpool. Furthermore, coach Arne Slott needed to make a change with his team clearly out of form. worst result More than 70 years later.
etc., Salah was defeated.
In fact, he did not come off the bench even in the situation of averting a crisis. 2-0 win over West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday.
You may become hysterical or overreact.
It may be premature to question whether this was the beginning of the end for Liverpool’s Salah.
The trip to West Ham comes in the middle of a run of five games in 15 days for Liverpool. Even though it was the first time in 19 months that Salah had made a substitute appearance in a Premier League game, it was no big deal that he missed out on one of the worst teams in the league.
“Mo has had an incredible career at this club and he’s a very special player, so I think he’s going to have a very good future at this club,” Slott said.
“We have four games in 10 days and we only have 14 to 15 outfielders, so sometimes we have to decide on certain lineups, and we try to pick the best lineup for every game.”
Salah is expected to return to the squad when Liverpool host Sunderland on Wednesday in a rare midweek game in England’s top flight.
However, the pressure will be on the 33-year-old Egyptian to start producing results, considering he has scored just four goals in the league so far.
And it won’t be long before he heads to the African Cup of Nations. That may be a rather tough test for slots. If Liverpool stumble on the formula to improve results in Salah’s absence, what will the Dutch manager do then?
There is no doubt that Liverpool are already looking to the future, having signed Florian Wirtz (22), Hugo Ekitike (23) and Alexander Isak (26). And the ultimate striker in Isak, who scored the opening goal against West Ham, will slot into the slot and should ultimately ease Salah’s burden.
But Salah is a great player for the club, with supreme fitness and drive, and last season he spearheaded Liverpool’s charge to the league title.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes Liverpool’s go-to attacker once again as they overcome a tough period in which they have lost eight of their last 11 games heading into the game against West Ham.
“He has been very important to this club and will be very important to this club in the future,” Slott said.
Main midweek matches
Arsenal have drawn consecutive away games in the league but still hold a five-point lead heading into their home match against Brentford.
Second-placed Manchester City will visit Fulham, while Chelsea, who are one point behind, will face Leeds.
Featured players
Victor Gokeres returned to Arsenal for the first time in four weeks in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea and will aim to start up front. However, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta now has plenty of options in attack, with Mikel Merino effectively filling in for Gokeres in his recent absence, and Gabriel Jesus fit again for the first time in almost a year due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Erling Haaland had not scored in his last three games ahead of Man City’s game against Fulham, but suddenly an unexpected challenger for the Golden Boot award appeared.
It’s Brentford’s Brazilian striker Igor Thiago. He has scored nine goals in his last eight league games and has 11 this season, three ahead of Haaland.
Activity suspended
Chelsea midfield executive Moises Caicedo will be absent from the match against Leeds after being suspended following a red card against Arsenal. With Romeo Lavia also currently sidelined, Reece James may have to continue in an unfamiliar role at the base of midfield.
Crystal Palace midfielder Ismaila Sarr was forced off injured early in the 2-1 defeat at Manchester United, and manager Oliver Glasner has said the Senegalese midfielder could return after the Africa Cup. Crystal Palace face Burnley on Wednesday.
off the field
Pressure on Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has increased following three successive defeats in the past week, including a derby against Arsenal and most recently a heavy home defeat to Fulham. There have been complaints among supporters, some of whom were targeted by Frank after the game against Fulham for heckling goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario for a mistake.
“They’re not real Tottenham fans because everyone supports each other when they’re on the pitch,” Frank said.
Things don’t get any easier for Spurs as they next have a long trip to Newcastle for Tuesday’s game. Tottenham have already lost at St James’s Park in this season’s English League Cup, losing 4-0 and 6-1 in two of their last three league games.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
