Mohamed Salah can no longer be a starter for Liverpool regardless of the options to replace him, according to Steve Nicol.
Salah has hit a steep decline this season, scoring only nine times and providing something of a black hole out on the right wing. Without the goals and assists of yesteryear, the Egyptian doesn’t even get the basics right anymore.
While it feels as though Salah is inevitably heading towards a summer exit from Liverpool, something must be done to arrest this slump in the meantime. It is not a stretch to say it looks like Arne Slot is playing with 10 men while his No. 11 is on the pitch.
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Nicol certainly seems to think so, and the Liverpool legend has called on Slot to do whatever it takes to remove Salah from the starting line-up ahead of Sunday’s clash against Tottenham Hotspur.
Salah must be replaced – Nicol
Part of the problem for Liverpool and Salah this season has been that Slot simply does not have the options to change things up.
Speaking on ESPN FC on Friday, however, Nicol claimed that the time has now come to try anything and everything in order to keep Salah away from the starting XI.
“I think since he’s gotten back in the side he’s reached the stage where he has to take a seat again,” he said.
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“Slot doesn’t have a lot of options, who does he play? Frimpong’s never been fit, so it’s not straightforward that he can just go straight in there.
“So now you’re talking about do you switch Gakpo and play Ngumoha [on the left], or do you just play Ngumoha over there [on the right]? So, Arne Slot doesn’t really have a straightforward swap, a ‘well if he’s not doing it, I’ll play this guy’.
“That’s his biggest problem because he doesn’t have a real good option.”
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“But, even saying that, because of what Mo Salah’s been producing, I think you take the chance and maybe try Ngumoha or Gakpo over there, or you play Chiesa.
“I think he’s reached the stage now that regardless of who it is or what you do, it’s going to be more than what Mo’s actually giving to the team, because if he’s not scoring goals and he’s not creating, he’s not giving Liverpool anything else.”
Some supporters may disagree with Nicol, but Salah has become so ineffective, that it really is worth it for Slot to roll the dice on somebody else. The options may not be ideal, but any one of Ngumoha, Gakpo or Chiesa could be worth a go, while Frimpong is arguably the best option if he is fit.
Something has to give, and though everyone would prefer to see Salah emerge from his slump and return to some kind of form, it is getting time that Liverpool cut their losses if they want to salvage something from this miserable season.
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