Liverpool’s loss at home “Anfield” in the Champions League means that the team has lost 9 of its last 12 matches in various tournaments.
“Salah”’s performance has witnessed a noticeable decline, as he failed to score or assist any goal in the last 4 Champions League matches, but what particularly angered “Hamann” was the Egyptian player’s failure to make any defensive effort during Eindhoven’s second goal.
“Mauro Junior” passed “Salah” with the ball near the middle of the field, allowing the latter to run 30 yards without intervention, ending the attack with “Gus Thiel” scoring a goal in the 56th minute.
After watching this performance, “Hamann” stated that “Slot” should exclude “Salah” in Liverpool’s upcoming match against West Ham, which will be held the day after tomorrow, Sunday, in the English League, otherwise he “risks his position.”
In statements to RTE Sport, “Hamann” said: “There comes a time when you have to exclude players, even the big ones. Slot is facing a decision: Will he be fired from his position with Salah? Or does he keep his job without including him?”
“Hamann” added: “What Salah did in Eindhoven’s second goal was shameful. Slot had a chance to get him out immediately.”
He stressed: “For a player of Mohamed Salah’s caliber, it hurts me to say this, but allowing a player to pass like this without any attempt to help the team is unacceptable.”
It is worth noting that “Salah”, 33 years old, was among the best players in the world last season, after scoring 29 goals and making 18 other goals in 38 league matches, when Liverpool won the title in coach “Slot’s” first season with the team.
When “Slot” took over the team’s training, he reduced the defensive duties that “Jurgen Klopp” imposed on “Salah”, and this idea succeeded in the 2024-2025 season, but things did not go the same way this season, whether for the team or for the player himself.
For his part, “Danny Murphy”, the former Liverpool star, criticized the current style, saying: “I don’t know how Slot can watch the same thing over and over without changing it.”
He confirmed, saying: “It’s not that Salah is unable to run, but simply he wasn’t asked to do so. He shouldn’t defend in every shot, but he hasn’t done so for a long time.”
He added: “Salah said last season that he enjoys it more because he doesn’t defend like he used to with Klopp. But repeating this has become a problem.”
He concluded his speech by saying: “I am not saying that he should be completely excluded because he is a constant threat to the competitors, but it must be clearly said to him: You must defend.”
