Arne Slot responds to Marc Cucurella's claim about Liverpool's Mohamed Salah weakness | OneFootball

Arne Slot responds to Marc Cucurella's claim about Liverpool's Mohamed Salah weakness | OneFootball

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·17 October 2025

Arne Slot responds to Marc Cucurella's claim about Liverpool's Mohamed Salah weakness

Article image:Arne Slot responds to Marc Cucurella's claim about Liverpool's Mohamed Salah weakness

Arne Slot has commented on Marc Cucurella's claim that Chelsea took advantage of Liverpool's Mohamed Salah tactical weakness to win earlier this month.

Cucurella played a crucial role in Chelsea's 2-1 win over Liverpool before the international break, having provided the assist for Estevao's winner in stoppage time.


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After the game, the Spain international explained how Enzo Maresca prepared him for the situation in training, how Salah would not defend in the last minutes of the game, and stay up front for a counter-attack instead.

It gave Cucurella the space to maneuver and overload Liverpool's defence on the left side.

Liverpool boss Slot has now responded to Cucurella's comment.

Article image:Arne Slot responds to Marc Cucurella's claim about Liverpool's Mohamed Salah weakness

IMAGO / Action Plus

"I heard the comments of Cucurella and also saw how they scored the (winning goal)," the Dutch head coach admitted in Friday's press conference.

"But I could also show you five or six moments where Mo could have made the difference for us.

"If that had happened, we could have had the conversation like last season when he made the difference so many times for us.

"It's always the balance between wingers and full-backs. I want our full-backs to attack as well. We have to find the right balance in that."

Article image:Arne Slot responds to Marc Cucurella's claim about Liverpool's Mohamed Salah weakness

IMAGO / Pro Sports Images

In fairness, Slot made a very good point.

Cucurella's having space to attack also meant Salah was left without a marker, and it could have hurt Chelsea as much as it gave them a man advantage offensively.

It's just that both sides took a gamble at the time, and it worked out for the hosts at Stamford Bridge.

While Chelsea had more shots on target in the game, Liverpool also created more big chances. It was just that Chelsea were more clinical in front of the goal in that game.

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