Criticise Arne Slot all you want, but his reason for dropping Mo Salah vs PSG is absolutely spot on - opinion

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Mohamed Salah didn’t make the starting lineup against PSG, and that’s one Arne Slot decision you can’t take too much issue with. Liverpool’s 2-0 loss to PSG didn’t give us too much reason to be optimistic for the second leg next week, and there were plenty of opportunities to criticise the manager.

He began: “I think anyone who understands football knows that you don’t go straight to a player after the game, especially if you didn’t bring him on, and start talking to him. But if you’re constantly defending and have to cover about 80 metres just to reach the opponent’s goal, I’m not sure that’s the best moment to use his energy.”Salah hasn’t been much of a defender for Liverpool under Slot.

An away game at such a difficult ground requires an intensity and an effort that Salah hasn’t shown enough this season, so I’m on the manager’s side here. That mentality is a huge reason for the success he has had at Liverpool, but if he can’t perform consistently, he doesn’t really have a leg to stand on — sentimentality goes out the window at this stage of the season.