Arne Slot Faced with Big Decision Regarding Mohamed Salah Ahead of the Champions League

Gilabola.com – Liverpool enters an important week under considerable pressure following the disappointing results in the Premier League when the 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth forced the coaching staff to evaluate their physical condition, player composition and tactical approach ahead of their final Champions League group match.

Apart from their European performance which is still very good, performance Communists in the domestic league it tends to be disappointing with them without a win in their last five matches in the Premier League.

Four of those five games have ended in draws and one defeat, which they suffered this weekend in a 3-2 loss to Bournemouth where they conceded a late goal.

Now, in the midst of hopes of quickly recovering in the domestic league, Arne Slot first needs to prepare his team for the final Champions League group match against Qarabag in the middle of this week.

Ahead of the match, there were fitness problems faced Communists with several players appearing to run out of energy in the final stages of the match, indicating that some of the core players who continued to play were starting to show fatigue.

In addition, the absence of a number of players due to injury also reduces Slot’s options, with the last match showing that the Dutch tactician was missing up to six players for various reasons.

In the back line, for example, Joe Gomez was monitored after being withdrawn in the first half. If Ibrahima Konate has not returned with condolences, then Wataru Endo might be pulled back to become Virgil van Dijk’s partner.

In the right-back sector, Slot is clearly increasingly short of options because when Conor Bradley was absent until the end of the season, Jeremie Frimping was tired and had to be pulled out before the match was finished.

The most sensitive issue is on the front lines, especially Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian international striker appeared less effective and lacked energy, so there are questions about whether there needs to be a change in the right attacking sector.

Mohamed Salah vs Liverpool statistics

• Total shots : 3
• Bait accuracy: 82 percent
• Key passes: 2
• Touch : 54
• Loss of balls: 3

Unfortunately, the available options do not allow for rotation because when Salah needs to rest, Slot loses Alexander Isak due to injury and Federico Chiesa continues to be plagued by fitness problems.

Hugo Ekitike will almost certainly return to the starting XI, but the question is who will accompany him up front, whether Cody Gakpo or another option such as giving Rio Ngumoha a chance.

Crazyball Opinion

With the lack of options up front, perhaps benching Mohamed Salah is not a solution unless he is truly physically not ready to continue playing. Slot’s job is to maximize the available players while managing the risk of fatigue in the squad.