Carragher questions Salah call as he hints Liverpool shift has begun | OneFootball

Liverpool’s selection choices continue to draw national attention even though the broader story around our attack remains more nuanced than it first appears.

Carragher: Salah decision “doesn’t feel like rotation”

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Jamie Carragher made his view clear on Sky Sports as he assessed our line-up before kick-off, arguing that the decision to leave Salah out again could not simply be explained away as fixture management.

“I expected Mo Salah to play today,” the former centre back admitted.

He added: “Arne Slot can dress the weekend up as Liverpool have four games in 10 days and you have to look at which games you play him in.”

The 47-year-old’s plan surprised him for a simple reason.

“Sunderland will play deep and make it difficult, so I expected this to be the one where Salah plays. For him to be on the bench doesn’t feel like rest or rotation; it’s dropped.”

Carragher went further by saying Liverpool will eventually have to “pivot away from being the Salah team and towards being the Wirtz and Isak team,” suggesting we may already be seeing early signs of that transition.

His comments came during another frustrating afternoon at Anfield, with Sunderland controlling large spells and how even the half-time introduction of the Egyptian could not immediately spark us into life.

Why the narrative around Salah is running far ahead of reality

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The debate around Salah has grown louder in recent weeks, yet the actual minutes tell a calmer story.

The 33-year-old has played 45 minutes across two games while Hugo Ekitike has played 38, which shows how inflated the noise has become.

Rotation is normal for attacking players of his age, and with AFCON approaching, preparing for his absence is logical.

Calls for drastic action remain premature too, especially after Mark Brus reported that sources near the dressing room believe “it’s hard to see anything other than Salah leaving if the situation doesn’t change,” a line that understandably fuels speculation but doesn’t reflect his long-term value to us.

Steve Nicol has also argued on ESPN FC that Liverpool should consider selling if a sizeable offer comes in, yet that stance feels more reactive than strategic.

The context matters because the BBC described our showing against Sunderland as “lifeless,” long before Salah arrived from the bench, and only Florian Wirtz’s deflected effort prevented another damaging defeat.

Football is becoming increasingly knee-jerk, and this is another example of conclusions being reached far too quickly.

Salah being benched will always create headlines, but it should be understood through age, form and the team’s general performance rather than viewed as a definitive judgement.

We know our No.11 will hit his level again and when he does, Liverpool will rise with him.

You can watch Slot’s post-Sunderland press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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