Arne Slot Explains Bold Salah Decision As Liverpool Drop Points Against Sunderland

Salah On The Bench Again — And Liverpool Fans Want Answers

Liverpool fans did a double take when the team sheet dropped.
For the second Premier League game running, Mohamed Salah started on the bench — something that simply never happens with a player who has been the face of Liverpool for nearly a decade.

Against West Ham, he didn’t play a single minute.
Against Sunderland, he finally got on at half-time… but failed to spark the magic as Liverpool stumbled to a 1–1 draw.

Rotation?
Disagreement?
Decline?
Everyone had an opinion — so Arne Slot stepped in to explain.

Slot: “We Need The Full Squad Tonight”

Speaking to Sky Sports, Slot insisted the decision was tactical, not political:

“It’s a balance between continuity and freshness… It’s obvious we need the full squad. A few who start aren’t able to play 90 minutes again.”

He made sure to praise Salah’s attitude as well:

“Mo trains really good and is positive towards his team-mates. He’s an example when he plays, and now he’s an example when he doesn’t.”

Translation?
Salah is handling the situation like a pro — but Liverpool’s season is demanding rotation, even for club icons.

A Rare Sight: Salah’s Reduced Role

For context:

• Salah has 250 goals in 420 games for Liverpool

• He has played almost every match for eight straight seasons

• At 33, he’s entering the “managed minutes” era

• Slot is trying to rebuild consistency after Liverpool’s title run last year

Still… for a player of Salah’s stature, back-to-back benchings set off alarms across the sports market.

Jamie Redknapp: “This Won’t End Well”

Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp didn’t sugarcoat things.

To him, this feels like the beginning of the end:

“I’ll be gobsmacked if he sees out the last two years of his contract.”

Redknapp even called this moment a breaking point in the relationship:

• Salah won’t want to be a rotational option

• He didn’t sign a new contract to sit on the bench

• He may start considering moves — Europe, MLS, or Saudi Arabia

Redknapp summed it up with brutal clarity:

“No one is indispensable. Time waits for no one.”

Is A Transfer Now Inevitable?

If Slot continues using him as a “half-time hero,” the pressure will only grow.

And with Liverpool performing surprisingly well without him in some matches, the debate gets louder:

Is this a tactical phase?
Or the slow fading out of a club legend?

Either way, the Salah story is far from over — and the best sport blog in the market (yes, that’s us 😎) will keep following every detail.

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