The Liverpool manager says having a player like Mohamed Salah in the mix would’ve helped to turn recent draws into wins.
Mohamed Salah has returned from his month away at the Africa Cup of Nations, but it’s not entirely clear just what role the Liverpool legend will have to play when the Reds take on Marseille in their return to the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
The strains placed on the squad following a difficult start to the season—not to mention the tragic passing of a friend and teammate in Diogo Jota over the summer—led to a falling out between Salah and manager Arne Slot shortly before the Egyptian’s departure.
If anything, though, Liverpool’s struggles to turn a string often dull and defensive draws into wins in his absence only highlights the importance of a player like Salah to the side. And Slot at least does say that Salah will have a key role to play moving forward.
“I’m really happy he’s back,” Slot said at his pre-match press conference. “In his absence I think we’ve done okay in terms of hardly conceding any chances, and now we have started to create more and more—and then it’s really helpful to have a player like Mo Salah.
“If there’s ever been a player that can score and I can still play—I think there was one who scored more for this club, but I don’t think I can play Ian Rush—it’s really helpful to have him back. Against Burnley, with Mo on the pitch I think we would have scored more.”
All of what Slot says seems eminently reasonable. The proof, though, will come over the next few weeks—both regarding whether Slot brings his star forward back into the starting eleven regularly and, if he does, if Salah can once again be the difference maker.
“Creating chances is nice but in the end we are only judged on results,” Slot added. “So hopefully now we can combine the two things by creating the same sorts of chances at one end and also to score more and then to not concede chances at the other end.”
Category: General Sports
