Slot must ignore Salah ‘reaction’ as his next statement Liverpool decision could determine sack verdict | OneFootball

Arne Slot *finally* got it right against West Ham, but his job is ‘still on the line’ and he must not perform a U-turn on Mo Salah against Sunderland.

Slot is certainly not alone in being to blame for Liverpool’s dramatic slump into a crisis this season, but he has contributed to their downfall.

The Dutchman’s poor decisions have added to Liverpool‘s lack of cohesion, as he has looked pretty clueless in search of his best XI this season, with the Premier League holders ineffective in virtually every department.

Last week’s embarrassing 4-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven meant Sunday’s visit to West Ham was a must-win for Liverpool and Slot, who could have been sacked had his side suffered another defeat.

However, the Reds, with the help of a charitable West Ham side, did bounce back as goals from Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo secured a priceless 2-0 victory.

Slot made a couple of big calls for this game as Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz and Isak started, while Liverpool Player of the Season so far, Dominik Szoboszlai, replaced out-of-sorts Mohamed Salah on the right flank.

The latter call was Slot’s biggest and arguably most necessary as Salah has been a shell of his best self in attacking areas, while his lack of contribution in the defensive half has added to Liverpool’s difficulties at the back.

Szoboszlai is far from a natural winger, but his immense work rate provided more cover on the right and made Liverpool far more solid than in previous games.

So, the next question is, will Slot stick to his guns or bring Salah back in for Wednesday night’s home match against Sunderland?

Sunderland should provide a far greater test than West Ham did at the weekend, but Slot needs to stick with the team that got the win at the London Stadium and not recall Salah for tomorrow’s match.

They have a better chance of keeping Sunderland at bay without Salah in the side, while they can no longer justify carrying him due to his lack of quality contributions in attack.

And Slot revealed on Tuesday morning that Szoboszlai should be able to continue in the wide role, as Wirtz should be fit enough to start again in the No.10 position.

“Florian [Wirtz] had missed one or two weeks of training, so for him to already play so many minutes is a good thing,” Slot told reporters.

“It was encouraging to see Florian playing that well, it was not the first time he has played well for us. And also Alex [Alexander Isak] as well.

“He [Isak] told me yesterday he felt a bit of cramp coming up already, so we will see how he trains today.”

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Slot also commented on Salah’s reaction to being left on the bench against West Ham and indicated that the veteran forward conducted himself professionally and had a “normal reaction”.

“It’s a normal reaction from a player that is good enough to play for us [to be disappointed to miss out],” Slot added when asked about Salah.

“He has been so outstanding for this club for so many years and will be for the future. He wasn’t the only one not happy that he wasn’t starting.

“The way he behaved is what you would expect from the professional he is. For Mo, he is so disciplined and knows what to do to stay fit.”

When asked when Salah will leave for the African Cup of Nations, Slot answered: “It’s 15 December. But always in these situations there is the player and the national team involved and there are always talks about what is best for all three of us.”

“We have to find a way to play without him.”

Slot standing firm on Salah will be key to deciding his future at Liverpool, as he has the matches against Sunderland and Leeds United to save himself, and he’s far more likely to save himself with his “outstanding” player out of the team at the moment.