Rooney urges Liverpool manager Slot to drop Mohamed Salah amid turbulent team form

Wayne Rooney has called on Liverpool manager Arne Slot to drop forward Mohamed Salah from the starting lineup in an effort to arrest the club’s troubling slump in form.

Speaking after a disappointing 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, Rooney pinpointed Salah’s insufficient defensive effort as a key factor undermining the team’s performance and urged Slot to make bold choices to spark improvement.

This call comes amid growing pressure on Liverpool’s senior players to lead and stabilise the reigning Premier League champions during a precarious phase.

Rooney’s argument hinges on the perceived need for Liverpool to become more defensively disciplined and compact, particularly as the team has conceded multiple goals in recent matches.

He stressed that sidelining Salah temporarily could send a powerful signal to the squad that no player is untouchable, and that collective effort and defensive responsibility must increase.

Despite Salah’s renowned attacking pedigree and goal-scoring prowess—he reached a milestone of 250 Liverpool goals recently—Rooney underscored the reality that the Egyptian forward has struggled to fulfil defensive duties consistently during this rough patch.

The former England captain framed the decision not as a dismissal of Salah’s talents or contributions but as a necessary tactical recalibration to help Liverpool recover from six losses in seven recent Premier League fixtures, which have plunged the club to 11th place, 11 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

He also pointed to the need for senior players to step up their leadership on and off the pitch and address the drop in standards that had coincided with the tragic passing of teammate Diogo Jota earlier in the season.

Rooney believes that Liverpool’s resurgence depends on restoring defensive solidity, which might involve tough calls on starters, including Salah.

Liverpool’s season so far has seen Mohamed Salah maintain strong individual statistics with 29 Premier League goals and 18 assists in the previous full season (2024-25). 

However, this individual output has not fully translated into consistent team success in the current campaign, marked by defensive lapses and tactical inconsistency under Arne Slot.

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