Alan Shearer Exclusive: Salah's form epitomises Liverpool while Arteta deserves credit | OneFootball

Read Alan's latest exclusive for Betfair

In his second exclusive for Betfair this week, Alan Shearer gives his views on Mo Salah's form, Nick Woltemade's great start at Newcastle, Mikel Arteta and much more...

Salah's form epitomises where Liverpool are at the moment

Mo Salah will come back to his best, start scoring goals and we'll all look back and wonder what the fuss was about. He epitomises what's happening at Liverpool at the moment in terms of being affected by the balance, and that Liverpool and Arne Slot can't find it yet with the new players.

Slot doesn't trust Jeremie Frimpong yet at right-back. He doesn't trust Conor Bradley hence the reason he played Szoboszlai there. Gomez was on the bench, and he put Gravenberch at centre-back instead and I guess the balance is all over the place at the moment. It's not just Mo Salah, it's down the left and right side.

Slot is a brilliant coach so it's a matter of time before they do get firing. Now's the time for other clubs to try and build a lead because it was only six days ago that Arsenal were five points behind Liverpool. Two games later, they're a point ahead. Things can move pretty quickly, and Liverpool will get better, as will Salah.

Woltemade is offering Newcastle something different to Isak

Nick Woltemade has had a brilliant start. He's very different to what Isak gave Newcastle because Isak's work was running in-behind whereas Woltemade likes to come short and link up play. He impressed me again at the weekend because of his bravery to stand up and take the penalty - as well as how he took the penalty.

He has four goals already which is a great start because, as a forward, you need to get off to a good start otherwise people start to talk about you, but he hasn't got that on him. He can be really, really happy with the start to his Newcastle career. The fans have already taken to him.

Yoane Wissa is yet to come back and has suffered a setback which is a bit of a kick in the nuts for Newcastle, but they looked threatening last time out, and it was a good week for Newcastle with wins in the Premier League and Champions League. More weeks like that, please!

Newcastle have some really good options. We talk about Arsenal and how much they and their bench has improved, which it has but Newcastle's bench is looking a lot stronger now as well - and will when Wissa comes back as well. They've got good options all over the park do Newcastle.

Credit must go to Arteta for Arsenal's strong start

It has to be Arsenal's year to win the Premier League. They've spent an absolute fortune, finished second for the last three years so we know and Mikel Arteta knows that the eyes will be on him and he has to win the Premier League this year. When you spend the amount of money that they have, second is no good. They're strong, have had a really tough start and they've come through it. That's great credit to Arteta. If you look at the substitutes bench from last season against West Ham in February, compared to now, there's only two players on that bench from what there was last weekend.

The big difference is that, while Martin Odegaard went off, he was replaced by Zubimendi. That's the difference.

It wouldn't surprise me if Ange got the sack

It wouldn't surprise me if they make a change at Forest. I don't think they should. Seven games is ridiculous. You never know with owners nowadays and I do look at Nottingham Forest and think how were they successful last season? They were because almost everything revolved around big Chris Wood. I know Anthony Elanga has left but what they did is, they sat deep and hit teams on the break with pace and energy.

I've yet to see that which is really unusual because normally when you get offered a job, it's because the person before you has been useless and the club may be in a mess. That isn't the case at Forest - Ange Postecoglou has walked into a really good team.

They are playing a slightly different way, but we haven't seen Forest sit deep and hit teams on the break like last year, which they were very good at.

The Rangers job will be brilliant for someone

There is that 'never go back' saying but if Steven Gerrard wants to get back to management, he knows what it's like up there, he's done it and been successful before. He's a huge name in football.

I don't think Celtic are that great either. Hearts are top of the SPFL at the moment so that tells you that Celtic aren't a great team either.

Steven, or whoever goes into that role may fancy their chances and say it's worth the opportunity and worth going up there to compete. Rangers are miles off it at the minute and it's no surprise that Martin Russell lost his job.

The fans were going mad up there and it's not nice to see because of the human behind it and at the end of it. That's what you have to think of but you also know the score when you go into management - if you don't win games, you'll get sacked.

The Rangers job will be a brilliant one for whoever takes over.