After being excluded against West Ham… Liverpool coach talks about Mohamed Salah

Liverpool coach Arne Slot praised the discipline and professionalism enjoyed by the Egyptian international star, Mohamed Salah, the team’s star, while speaking at the same time about the defending champion’s latest preparations to face its guest, Sunderland, tomorrow, in the 14th round of the English Premier League football championship.
Liverpool returned to the winning tone, which it had missed in the previous two stages of the competition, after winning with two clean goals over its host West Ham United, the day before yesterday, Sunday, as the match, which took place at the Olympic Stadium in the British capital, London, witnessed Salah sitting on the bench until the end of the confrontation.
Sloat decided to exclude Salah, the team’s top scorer, from Liverpool’s starting lineup in a surprising move by the Dutch coach, and perhaps his decision came in response to the demands of many followers, to exclude the captain of the Pharaohs national team, who led the Red Team to win the English Premier League title last season, which saw him being crowned with the awards for best scorer and best playmaker in the prestigious competition, after his level declined this season.
In the attacking line against West Ham, Slot relied on the Swede Alexander Isak, the German Florian Wirtz and the Dutchman Cody Jacobo, before introducing Frenchman Hugo Ekitiki to replace Isak in the second half, while Salah remained on the bench.
Liverpool, which lost to Manchester City and Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League and to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, entered the West Ham match after suffering 9 defeats in its last 12 matches in various competitions, knowing that it had suffered 7 defeats during its previous six meetings in the English Premier League.
Salah’s decline was a feature of that series, as he failed to score in the last four matches, noting that he scored only 4 goals in the league throughout the season.
Slott described Salah as “disciplined and a high-class professional” when asked about the possibility of his return to the team against Sunderland, where he spoke about the “Egyptian Pharaoh,” saying, “It is natural for a player of quality and competence to feel disappointed by his absence from any match.”
Slott added in the press conference held today, “Salah has been a great player with this club for many years, and he will continue to be so in the future. He was not the only one unhappy about not being a starter.”
“The way he behaves is what you would expect from a professional player. As for Mohamed, he is very disciplined and knows what needs to be done to maintain his fitness,” the Liverpool coach explained.
Regarding the date of Salah’s departure from the team to participate with his country in the African Cup of Nations in Morocco, Slot replied, “It will happen in the middle of this month. But always in such cases, the player and the national team are concerned, and the conversation always revolves around what is best for all of us.”
Regarding the team’s adaptation in the absence of Salah, Slott stressed, “We must find a way to play without him.”
According to the regulations of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), Salah is scheduled to join the Egyptian national team on December 15th, to play in the African Cup of Nations, which will be held from the 21st of the same month until January 18th, noting that he came at the top of the list of the “Pharaohs” team in the continental competition, which was unveiled yesterday, Monday.
Slott touched on the readiness of the rest of the players for the Sunderland match, saying, “Florian (Wertz) missed training for a week or two, so his participation in this large number of minutes against West Ham is a good thing.”
He continued, “It was encouraging to see Florian play this well. This was not the first time he played well with us. The same applies to Alex (Alexander Isak).”
He added, “He told me yesterday that he felt some muscle contractions, so we will see how he will train today.”
Regarding Sunderland, which is currently in sixth place in the competition standings with 22 points, Slott said, “They have brought in many new players and started the season very well.”
He pointed out, “I watched the Chelsea vs. Arsenal match. It was a high-level match, and I was aware of Sunderland’s victory over Chelsea in their stadium and their draw with Arsenal. This reveals to us how strong they are.”
“The Sunderland players have shown a great mentality,” Slott stressed in his statements, which were reported on the official website of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). “Their style of play, and the risk they take in matches, all 11 players are making a great effort to achieve a positive result.”
Slott did not neglect to talk about the abuse that team members are exposed to via social media, as he said, “It is normal for us to be exposed to criticism, even if we are winners. I think this happens. I am not a follower of social media, and I do not know that, but I am not stupid, and I know that there are abuses.”
He revealed, “Abuse is definitely not a good thing. What I know and what I feel is the support that the fans give me on the field. They cheer for the team, but they also cheer for me. This is the support that I feel.”
Slott hinted at the date of the return of defenders Connor Bradley and Jeremy Frimpong from injury, saying, “Connor participated in a training session yesterday for the first time. He is not yet fully fit, so we have to improve his management, so do not place too much hope on his participation tomorrow. We expect the same thing with Jeremy next week, so they will return to us in light of the pressure of the matches that we are facing.”
The Dutch coach concluded his statements by saying, “I hope that (Bradley) will be ready for the team’s match against Leeds United.”
It is noteworthy that Liverpool is currently in eighth place with 21 points after achieving 7 victories, while suffering 6 defeats.