Make a call on Salah<\/p>\n
For almost the entirety of Mohamed Salah\u2019s Liverpool career, Anfield would have been in uproar over the forward being withdrawn moments after their team had fallen behind and with the clock ticking down on another defeat. Especially facing Manchester United, against whom he has scored a record 16 goals. Not on Sunday<\/a>. Salah\u2019s 85th-minute substitution for Jeremie Frimpong was accepted as a necessary last throw of the dice following another poor display from the Egypt international. The reaction to the switch was telling. Salah\u2019s guaranteed place in Liverpool\u2019s starting lineup is under threat for the first time since he joined more than eight years ago. The threat would be greater if Federico Chiesa or Frimpong, the only real alternatives on the right, made as much of an impact when starting as they do off the bench. There are no replacements of Salah\u2019s level in the squad for the system that Slot operates. Any dip in form by the 33-year-old is therefore felt acutely. Whether it is helping Salah by selecting a more settled side around him, or rewarding Chiesa\u2019s lively cameos with a starting role, Slot has a pressing issue to address on the usually phenomenal side of Liverpool\u2019s forward line.<\/p>\n Realise risk can bring reward but also chaos<\/p>\n Slot has an enviable array of attacking talent and is never afraid to deploy it. The approach is laudable, part of the attraction of watching his Liverpool team, and brooked no arguments when it resulted in late wins over Bournemouth, Newcastle, Burnley and Southampton this season. But, as the head coach conceded on Sunday, it can also create an imbalance and leave a struggling defence<\/a> further exposed. Slot insisted the introductions of Hugo Ekitik\u00e9, Florian Wirtz and Curtis Jones in the 62nd minute and Chiesa\u2019s in the 72nd were necessary with Liverpool looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit for the fourth game in succession. The champions\u2019 brightest period followed. However, Slot also blamed Harry Maguire\u2019s winner from Liverpool\u2019s latest set-piece failing on having \u201cseven or eight offensive-minded players\u201d on the pitch. \u201cIt\u2019s not an excuse but maybe the reason why the structure in defending set pieces against Palace and now is not as perfect as we usually are,\u201d he said. Slot\u2019s substitutions contributed to Liverpool\u2019s title triumph last season but at a time when his team are adjusting to so many signings it may help to limit disruption from the bench. Liverpool\u2019s positive approach will not and should not change but the calm control of last season has given way to some chaotic performances. \u201cWe are a team who do not try to keep the draw, especially at home,\u201d said Virgil van Dijk after the United defeat.<\/p>\n Arne Slot blamed Harry Maguire\u2019s winner from Liverpool\u2019s latest set-piece failing on having \u2018seven or eight offensive-minded players\u2019 on the pitch. Photograph: Carl Recine\/Getty ImagesRecall Robertson <\/p>\n There is no disguising the difficult start Milos Kerkez has made at Liverpool<\/a>, however much Slot has tried to defend the Hungary international and his fellow new full-back Frimpong. The era of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson competing for a record number of Premier League assists and unlocking low blocks \u2013 it is not a new conundrum that Liverpool are facing \u2013 is over. Their replacements, though Conor Bradley is vying for that mantle with Frimpong at right-back, are not at the same level. Not yet, at least, with both taking time to settle. Ruben Amorim targeted Kerkez\u2019s left flank at Anfield and was rewarded with Bryan Mbeumo\u2019s goal after 62 seconds. More could have followed from that area in the first half. The clear disconnect between the \u00a340m signing from Bournemouth and Van Dijk was encapsulated when both went for the same cross in the second half and Kerkez almost face-planted the ball into his own net. Playing Kerkez may well be the only way to build a rapport but it feels Robertson, yet to start a Premier League game this season, has been jettisoned prematurely. Last season was his first indifferent campaign in a Liverpool shirt and came after he had rushed back from a serious ankle injury. With defensive improvement essential to halting a damaging run of losses, the Scotland captain should be recalled.<\/p>\n Devise a clear plan<\/p>\n Slot appears like the spoilt kid at Christmas in having more expensive new toys than he knows what do with. The reality of turning a summer transfer strategy that could cost up to \u00a3450m into a cohesive unit, and maximising the individual talent, is proving much more difficult than many anticipated. Slot\u2019s triumphant debut season centred on building on and tweaking the foundations put in place by J\u00fcrgen Klopp. Chiesa was the only addition to the senior squad last summer and barely featured as Liverpool comfortably won the title with a consistency of style and team selection. Now, after a summer of upheaval, Slot is trying to accommodate Wirtz, bring Alexander Isak up to speed after a pre-season in effect spent on strike at Newcastle and introduce Ekitik\u00e9. The potential \u00a379m signing from Eintracht Frankfurt can count himself unfortunate to have been on the bench on Sunday behind the \u00a3125m record recruit. Ekitik\u00e9 made more of an impact than Isak when introduced although, as Slot pointed out on Friday, Liverpool made a serious investment in the Swede for what he will bring over the next six years, not over the first few weeks. Wirtz is the bigger issue among Liverpool\u2019s expensive new arrivals. Whether it is his position in the side, and the knock-on effect for the midfield behind him, or the intensity of the Premier League, the Germany international is clearly yet to convince Slot. In three of Liverpool\u2019s past four league games, every one an occasion against Everton, Chelsea and United, the potential \u00a3116m signing has started on the bench.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Football Daily<\/p>\n Kick off your evenings with the Guardian’s take on the world of football<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Hugo Ekitik\u00e9 can count himself unfortunate to not have started against Manchester United. Photograph: Ryan Browne\/ShutterstockEnsure defeats do not drain confidence<\/p>\n Liverpool find themselves in unfamiliar territory as they digest four straight defeats for the first time in 11 years. A fifth consecutive loss on Wednesday at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League would be almost unheard of. The last time that happened was in 1953. Slot claimed the amount of chances Liverpool created against United was a sign that confidence remained unaffected and as good an indicator as any that results will soon turn. But anxiety was unmistakable at Anfield on Sunday, in the performance of the players and the frustration of the crowd. It did not go unnoticed by Van Dijk. The Liverpool captain said: \u201cThe first half we didn\u2019t do the right thing, we were too rushed. The feeling at Anfield was a bit like that, especially the first half. Second half we kept fighting and found an equaliser but in the end we had nothing. I think everyone maybe felt a bit like that [anxious]. You can understand it. Coming back after the international break after three losses on the bounce everyone wants to see a good performance, including ourselves.\u201d There was little reassurance to be found in defeat by United. Slot cannot afford for anxiety to deepen in Germany.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Make a call on Salah For almost the entirety of Mohamed Salah\u2019s Liverpool career, Anfield would have been…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":239652,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[403,99],"class_list":["post-239651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239651\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}