ARNE SLOT BENCHES MOHAMED SALAH, ALEXANDER ISAK: THIRD GAME IN A ROW
Slot explains his "special" decision to bench Salah and Isak again, despite pressure for consistent wins. Full breakdown of Liverpool's surprising lineup vs Leeds.
Mohamed Salah started on the Liverpool bench for the third game in a row. Arne Slot also had Alexander Isak on the bench. The Reds played Leeds United at Elland Road, hoping for a third game without a loss and some consistent wins.
Slot made headlines last week when he first benched Salah in the Premier League this season. This decision followed a bad run at the start of the season. The Egyptian stayed on the bench for the entire game.
Liverpool won that game 2-0. The Dutch manager stuck with his decision and left Salah out again in the midweek game against Sunderland. He came off the bench during the 1-1 draw but didn't change the game.
Slot spoke about Salah at Friday's press conference, saying he was thinking hard about putting him back in the starting lineup. I think any player can start, and Mo is special for us. He's always in my mind to start or come off the bench.
I get the talk because he deserves it. He has been important to me for six or seven years. It's normal for people to talk when he isn't playing.
But he was a substitute again, along with Isak, who cost a record amount. The Swede hasn't played well since his £125 million transfer. He started against Sunderland in midweek but was replaced by Hugo Ekitike.
Elsewhere, Conor Bradley replaced Joe Gomez in the starting lineup, and Curtis Jones played instead of Alexis Mac Allister.
Federico Chiesa was also on the bench, even though many people wanted him to play more.
Every player can start, but we have many players for his position, Slot said. He's made a difference coming off the bench a few times.
Liverpool XI vs Leeds: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Jones; Szoboszlai; Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike.
ANALYTICAL: WHY £400M-SPENDING LIVERPOOL STILL DESPERATELY NEEDS ARDA GüLER
Liverpool joins rivals Manchester United and Arsenal in the race to sign highly-rated Real Madrid attacking midfielder Arda Güler, following their UCL win.
Liverpool, the reigning Premier League champs, are set to host Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield this Saturday afternoon.
Arne Slot's team hasn't been doing great lately, with only two wins in their last ten Premier League games. They recently tied 3-3 with Leeds United, who are also having a tough time.
But the Reds did get a win in the Champions League on Tuesday, beating Inter Milan 1-0. This gets them closer to qualifying for the next stage.
Now, after that big win in Milan, word is Liverpool wants to sign one of La Liga's biggest stars.
CaughtOffside says that Liverpool and Manchester United are both interested in Real Madrid's Arda Güler.
The report also says that Arsenal, who are leading the Premier League right now, also want the Turkish player, who's been playing really well this season.
Guler, who's 20, moved to Real from Fenerbahce in 2023. He's played in over 80 games for the Spanish team in all competitions.
He's scored 15 goals and assisted 18 times during that time. His play for Xabi Alonso's team has caught the attention of quite a few English teams.
The report says that all three Premier League teams are seriously interested in Güler, who mainly plays as an attacking midfielder but can also play on the wing.
Güler's contract with Real Madrid lasts until the end of the 2028/29 season, but it sounds like clubs might try to get him to leave Madrid next year.
Liverpool's manager, Slot, reportedly wants to add more creative players to his team, even after spending over £400 million on new players this summer. He thinks Güler is the right guy for the job.
VIRGIL VAN DIJK DENIES RIFT: MO SALAH'S RANT IS "BLOWN UP" BY MEDIA; I WANT HIM TO STAY
Virgil van Dijk claimed Mohamed Salah's "thrown under the bus" comments haven't affected the team, stating the internal atmosphere and training remain "normal."
Virgil van Dijk claims Mohamed Salah's recent outburst hasn't messed with the Liverpool team's vibe. He said training felt normal.
After Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Leeds, where Salah sat on the bench, he said he felt thrown under the bus by the club, blamed for their bad season, and hinted he might leave in January.
This rant got him in trouble. He didn't travel with the team to Milan for their Champions League game against Inter, which they won 1-0 thanks to a late penalty by Dominik Szoboszlai.
Van Dijk told Sky Sports that even after Salah's comments, things were fine within the team.
It wasn't that hard to deal with. "It's just how he felt after the game," Van Dijk said. When we came in on Sunday, the team felt the same as always.
We know what's up, but the media is blowing it up. We just need to deal with the fact that we had a big game and another one coming up this weekend. We'll see what happens.
When asked if he'd spoken to Salah and what they talked about, Van Dijk said, Of course I spoke to him. But that's private.
Salah's time at Liverpool seems uncertain, but Van Dijk wants him to stay: I've been with Mo for a long time. He's helped me a lot here, and I've helped him. We've done it together.
Salah mentioned issues with the club, feeling benched without reason, and a strained relationship with the manager, suggesting someone at the club doesn't want him there. He also spoke about his contract, saying he thought he'd retire at Liverpool, but now things are uncertain.
He's leaving for the African Cup of Nations soon. I hope he does great. "I don't know what will happen next," Van Dijk added.
I hope he comes back to Liverpool, but it's up to the club and Mo. We're friends no matter what, and we've been through a lot together. We'll see what happens.
Arne Slot's team was short some players in Milan, including Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa.
When asked if Salah had let the team down, Van Dijk responded, I won't say if someone let someone down. He didn't travel because of what he said after the game. He trained normally yesterday. We'll see what happens on Friday when we train again. I'm focused on the team. Mo is still part of the team for now, so we'll see.
Andy Robertson, who has played with Salah for years, hopes he doesn't leave on bad terms.
It's tough. "We're talking about one of the best players ever to play here," Robertson said. I joined at the same time as him. Whatever happened, we're all in this together.
About Salah's future, he said, That's not up to me. I love playing with Mo, and I hope we keep playing together.