Arne Slot is going to have to take some drastic action after Liverpool’s loss to Manchester United.
The Reds suffered their fourth straight defeat in all competitions at the hands of Ruben Amorim’s side, who won 2-1 at Anfield in a game that further exposed the issues of the home side.
Both of United’s goals were indicative of where Liverpool have gone wrong in terms of defending this year, with a direct pass in behind the defence for the Bryan Mbeumo opener and a set-piece for the Harry Maguire winner.
Their issues have not stopped there though, as Slot’s chosen attack, apart from Cody Gakpo, did not rise to the occasion, which has left Mohamed Salah in the spotlight.
The Egyptian, it is fair to say, has not had the greatest start to the season, certainly not what fans would expect, which has led to calls in the past few weeks to say he should be dropped.
Steve Nicol says Arne Slot will have to make hard decision to drop Mohamed Salah
Salah has not scored since Liverpool beat Atletico Madrid in the Champions League back in September, and his last assist came in the Merseyside Derby.
It does seem that for many supporters, it may be time to discuss who should start on the right-hand side, especially with Federico Chiesa registering another assist this season for the Gakpo goal.
Steve Nicol has been brutally honest about the situation with the 33-year-old, as he currently believes that now may be the time to bench him in some games.
Speaking to ESPN FC, the former Red explained that it will be one of the ‘hardest’ decisions Slot has to make, but it is necessary to the health of the team.
Nicol explained: “Proper fans, people that actually have an idea of what they’re looking at, will kind of be thinking along the terms of what we’re talking about here. He had the situation with Wirtz where it became clear eventually he had to make a decision and he made the decision. Now, the Salah one’s a harder decision because it’s Salah. But at the end of the day, regardless of who you are and what you’ve done, there comes a time when you’re not helping in any way, shape, or form and you have to be sat down.
“That takes a strong manager. But it also depends on the player. It depends on Mo Salah. If Mo Salah realises how much he’s struggling, then he has to be able to take that. And if he takes a strop and becomes a pest, then that tells you some not very good things about his professionalism.”
Arne Slot is going to have to make more tough decisions
Salah is not the only player that the manager will have to question, given that there have been many shocking performances this season.
The defence is the main one because Milos Kerkez and Conor Bradley do not seem comfortable in their positions on the flanks.
In attack, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike are being rotated in and out every week with little success.
At this point, there needs to be an overhaul of how this team is viewed and set up, one which values merit over name value or even time spent at the club.
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