"For almost the entirety of Mohamed Salah's Liverpool career, Anfield would have been in uproar over the striker being withdrawn moments after their team had fallen behind and with the clock ticking down on another defeat.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. Salah's 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's guaranteed place in Liverpool's 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's level in the squad for the system that Slot operates."
"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 further exposed."
For almost the entirety of Mohamed Salah's Liverpool career, Anfield would have been in uproar when he was withdrawn moments after the team fell behind late in a match, especially against Manchester United where he has scored a record 16 goals. Salah's 85th-minute substitution for Jeremie Frimpong was treated as a necessary gamble after another poor display. Salah's guaranteed starting place is under threat for the first time in over eight years. Federico Chiesa and Frimpong make more impact off the bench than when starting. There are no squad replacements of Salah's level for Slot's system, so any dip in form is felt acutely. Slot must balance deploying abundant attacking options with maintaining defensive stability.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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