Arne Slot played down the significance of his decision to leave Mohamed Salah out of Liverpool’s 2-0 victory at West Ham on Sunday.
Salah had been selected for every league game for which was available since a 2-2 draw at the London Stadium in April 2024, when Jürgen Klopp was still manager, but Slot was keen to stress that this does not mean that the Egyptian’s time at the club is coming to an end.
“I get this question a lot,” Slot said, referring to occasions when he’s omitted Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak – who scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool on Sunday – or Hugo Ekitiké and suggesting that one of his vaunted forwards is always going to be left out.
“Mo has had an unbelievable career and will have a very good future at this club because he’s such a special player. But when you have four games in 10 days then you have to decide once in a while on a certain line-up.”
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However, Slot, honest to a fault and having already offered the schedule as an explanation, could not help himself from providing tactical insights as well.
“The way they set up with a full back that’s constantly high and a winger who’s inside, I thought this would help the team,” he said, the implication being that he doubted Salah’s capacity to perform the necessary defensive work.
Slot spoke of “relief” after just a second win in eight Premier League games, but was far from euphoric.
“In terms of result it is of course very good,” Slot said, “but there were also a few things similar to other games. We couldn’t score our first chances. But the good thing is that for the first time in many games the first chance of our opponent didn’t go in, and was in the 90th minute and was the only chance they had.”
Liverpool’s head coach also expressed his gratitude to fans who chanted his name. “It means a lot,” he said, “and says a lot about the club and about the fans. That’s special, and not just from 1-0 but from start to finish. That says this club is all together.”
Nuno Espírito Santo refused to be drawn on the subject of Lucas Paquetá, who was sent off with six minutes remaining after collecting two yellow cards for dissent in quick succession.
“It’s hard to play against a team like Liverpool with one man less,” he said. “I want to have a private conversation with him, try to understand. I think it’s unfair to make any kind of comment without the chance to speak to him.”
Post-game, the Brazilian, who was cleared of spot-fixing charges in July at the end of a lengthy investigation, offered his own perspective. He posted on X: “It’s ridiculous to have your life and career affected for two years without any psychological support from the federation. Perhaps this ridiculous behavior is just a reflection of everything I’ve had to endure and, it seems, have to continue enduring! I’m sorry if I’m not perfect.” – Guardian
