Liverpool manager Arne Slot has revealed that dropping Mohamed Salah for the Premier League clash with West Ham United was one of the hardest decisions he has faced, admitting it placed the club icon under undue scrutiny.
The Difficult Decision at the London Stadium
Despite widespread acknowledgment that Salah's recent form has been below his stellar standards, omitting him from the starting lineup represented a major call for Slot. The Egyptian forward has been an automatic pick for the Reds for the past eight years. Slot is now grappling with whether to restore Salah to the starting eleven for Wednesday night's match against Sunderland, as he has the player for just four more games before FIFA regulations stipulate he must join Egypt's squad for the Africa Cup of Nations on 15 December.
The events at the London Stadium, where Liverpool secured a 2-0 victory, offered a glimpse into a challenging immediate future for the Dutch coach. Effectively managing Salah's minutes before his international departure is a complex task, and Slot expressed sympathy for the predicament in which he placed the 33-year-old.
'It is not nice for you, nor for a Liverpool fan, nor for me, for a player who has been so important for us,' Slot stated. 'I would rather see Mo on the pitch, scoring his goals and doing something special, than have the camera on him when he is not in the match.'
Salah's Staggering Liverpool Record
While Salah has never taken kindly to being dropped or substituted, the reason his absence from the starting eleven against West Ham caused such a stir is easily explained by the numbers. Since his arrival in 2017, Liverpool have played 317 Premier League matches. Salah was not in the starting lineup for just 34 of those games.
A significant portion of those 34 were due to AFCON commitments. Delving deeper, he has missed matchday squads entirely for only 17 of the 317 fixtures. This context underscores why Slot deliberated so intensely before opting to start with Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, and Cody Gakpo in the capital.
Professionalism and the Road to AFCON
Slot was quick to praise Salah's professionalism following the decision. 'He has been very important for us, for many years, and he will be in the coming days, because these are days before he goes to the Africa Cup,' Slot said. 'The reaction of all the players in this group, whether they play or not, is to bring out the best in themselves every day. That is exactly the attitude he showed on Sunday and (on Monday) yesterday as well.'
When asked if Salah was disappointed, the manager gave a candid response. 'It's a fair assumption and a normal reaction from a player who is good enough to play for us, and I say that lightly because he has been so outstanding for this club for so many years and he will be for us in the future.'
'Of course, a player is not happy when he doesn't play. He wasn't the only one unhappy about not starting, that's normal. But his behaviour is what you would expect from a professional like him. He supported his teammates a lot and behaved very well.'
As the countdown to 15 December continues, Slot's man-management of one of Liverpool's greatest modern players will remain under the microscope, balancing immediate team needs with the respect owed to a true Anfield legend.
