Liverpool need to make urgent changes to their starting line-up, changes which include the painful omission of Mohamed Salah, according to former Reds midfielder Don Hutchison. Arne Slot's side have faced mounting issues all season, from the integration of new players, poor performances and increasing injuries and sit well off the pace in the Premier League title race and Hutchison believes there’s only one answer to solve their problems.
Reds rocked by poor early season form
Salah's reduced output and the underwhelming form of new attacking signings like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak have played a major role in the Reds’ struggles so far this season. Salah's productivity has dropped significantly, with shots and touches in the box having nearly halved, exacerbated by the departure of long-time partner Trent Alexander-Arnold. Meanwhile, Wirtz, is yet to record a Premier League goal or assist and is still adjusting to the pace and physicality of English football.
Isak, arriving from Newcastle for a record fee, has also failed to make an impact, with his time limited by persistent injury issues. And while Hugo Ekitike has shown moments of great promise, he has been inconsistent after a promising start, further highlighting the attack's struggles to find cohesion. And Hutchison, who made 45 league appearances for the Anfield club between 1991 and 1994, believes Salah should take a back seat and allow the new arrivals to flourish.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportHutchison: 'Uncomfortable conversation about Salah'
Hutchison said: "The uncomfortable conversation will be around the likes of Mo Salah because there’s a way to get Ekitike, Isak and Wirtz into the same team, but it means there’s no place for Salah. You can have [Milos] Kerkez on the left and [Conor] Bradley on the right as wing-backs. Then you have [Dominik] Szoboszlai and [Ryan] Gravenberch in midfield. If you want to put a positive spin on it, every team in the Premier League would love Wirtz, Isak and Salah. Now Slot’s job is trying to come up with a formula to get all those three into the same 11, with Ekitike, because you can’t spend all that money on Wirtz, Isak and Ekitike and tell them to fight for their place in the side."
He added: "They have to be starters now. I would be very tempted to play all three from now to the end of the season and play their way into form, into goals, into chemistry, into improving the league position. I know it’s a big jump from now to the end of season, but that will be Liverpool’s team and individuals going forward. That’s what I would look at. So the uncomfortable conversation is around why and how you don’t get Mo Salah into that team anymore. Perhaps the Africa Cup of Nations would be the time to try it!"
Wirtz comes under fire from Utd legend
Salah isn’t the only player coming under the microscope as Liverpool’s attacking puzzle under Slot has taken a new twist after Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke claimed £116 million summer signing Wirtz is blocking the club’s best tactical solution. Yorke said: "The problem Liverpool have got is Wirtz. That might cause a little bit of an issue because of the money he has come in on too. But Slot has to trust himself and trust his instincts on whether Ekitike and Isak can score goals together because they can both score goals as individuals. You’d think together they are only going to be a bigger threat for their opposition."
Getty Images SportClock ticking to find solutions
The questions for Slot to start with Liverpool's porous defense, which has become uncharacteristically vulnerable, and address their midfield's imbalance. He will at some stage also have to address Salah’s role and the problems in attack, but the Dutchman will have a window of opportunity when the Egyptian star heads off to play at the Africa Cup of Nations next month.