Arne Slot Admits Unease Over Dropped Salah, Hopes for Return to Form Before Africa Cup of Nations Break
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confessed that he felt uneasy about dropping Mohamed Salah from the starting lineup against West Ham, a move that came as part of a desperate bid to turn around the team's dismal form. The Egyptian striker, who has been an integral part of Liverpool for eight phenomenal seasons, was benched on Sunday, but Slot insisted it wasn't a sign of a post-Salah era at Anfield.
Slot acknowledged that Salah's omission was difficult for everyone connected with the club, particularly the fans and himself. "It is not a nice thing for him, not for a Liverpool fan and not for me," Slot said. "A player that has been so important for us, you want to see him on the pitch. I prefer to see Mo on the pitch, scoring his goals and doing something special rather than the camera being on him when he isn't in the game."
Despite Salah's struggles this season, Slot believes the 33-year-old will be back to form soon. "He has been so important for us, for so many years, and he will be important for us in the coming days – because it is days as he goes to the Africa Cup of Nations," Slot said.
Slot also confirmed that Dominik Szoboszlai's recent appearance against West Ham was not a permanent replacement for Salah. The Hungary captain is a midfielder who can play in various positions, including right-back or winger, but Slot doesn't expect him to be a long-term solution at those roles.
The situation has left fans eagerly awaiting Salah's return, and Slot hopes the striker will make a big impact before his departure for the Africa Cup of Nations. "When he comes back, I'm looking forward to seeing him do something special," Slot said.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confessed that he felt uneasy about dropping Mohamed Salah from the starting lineup against West Ham, a move that came as part of a desperate bid to turn around the team's dismal form. The Egyptian striker, who has been an integral part of Liverpool for eight phenomenal seasons, was benched on Sunday, but Slot insisted it wasn't a sign of a post-Salah era at Anfield.
Slot acknowledged that Salah's omission was difficult for everyone connected with the club, particularly the fans and himself. "It is not a nice thing for him, not for a Liverpool fan and not for me," Slot said. "A player that has been so important for us, you want to see him on the pitch. I prefer to see Mo on the pitch, scoring his goals and doing something special rather than the camera being on him when he isn't in the game."
Despite Salah's struggles this season, Slot believes the 33-year-old will be back to form soon. "He has been so important for us, for so many years, and he will be important for us in the coming days – because it is days as he goes to the Africa Cup of Nations," Slot said.
Slot also confirmed that Dominik Szoboszlai's recent appearance against West Ham was not a permanent replacement for Salah. The Hungary captain is a midfielder who can play in various positions, including right-back or winger, but Slot doesn't expect him to be a long-term solution at those roles.
The situation has left fans eagerly awaiting Salah's return, and Slot hopes the striker will make a big impact before his departure for the Africa Cup of Nations. "When he comes back, I'm looking forward to seeing him do something special," Slot said.
i dont no what happened but slot is like really sincere about it imo 
the thing is i think slot is trying 2 say that salah wud b back 2 form tho 
i mean wen r u dropped a player 2 important 2 ur team? but hopefully Salah wud make some impact b4 he leaves 4 africa cup nations 
... Like, I get it, teams need to mix it up and all that, but still, Mo's been a cornerstone for us for ages. It's always gonna be a bummer when he's not on the pitch 
. But at the same time, you can't just keep him out there forever - Salah needs some games under his belt, ya know? I'm hoping he gets back to his old self soon and slays it before he heads off to Africa 
. It's not easy being a Liverpool fan when your star player's having an off year 
... Still, we'll get 'em back on track 
Africa Cup of Nations is coming & il be hyped 2 c him shine on the pitch again 
. The thing is, Mo has been having a bit of an off season, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be playing, you know? It's just not right that he's been benched... unless, actually, it was a master move by Arne Slot to shake things up and get the team back on track 
. Nah, no way, I'm still with the fans on this one, Salah should be back in the starting lineup ASAP 
.
. But I guess it's not all bad news, eh? The guy's gonna make a big impact before he leaves for Africa, hopefully. That's what we want to see, right? Mo back on the scoresheet and leading us to victory again 
.
️. But I think Arne Slot made the right call, they need to shake things up a bit and give some other players a chance to shine 
. And I'm sure Mo will bounce back from this, he's still 33 but he's not getting older 
, hope he gets back to form ASAP so we can see more goals from him 
omg i feel soo bad for salah, benched by slot was defo an awkward move tho! but at least slot's being real about it 
. Fingers crossed Salah finds his mojo again and scores some goals when he comes back 
. But, he's still one of the best players in the world, so when he comes back from Africa Cup of Nations, expect him to make some magic happen 
! The squad needs a boost and all hands on deck 
... fingers crossed that salah comes back strong and makes an impact before africa cup of nations 
... he's such an important player for us, and I know he'll make a big impact when he returns 
!
It's just not right, you know? I was worried sick when I saw him on the bench 
. But you know what? Arne Slot's got a good head on his shoulders 
... still, you can't blame the guy for trying something new, right? 
, so we should expect big things from him soon 
. Let's keep our fingers crossed for Salah's return to form 
!