Liverpool manager Arne Slot surprisingly dropped star players Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak for the match against Leeds, explaining that he chose “the team that I think we need today” ahead of the club’s vital run of upcoming fixtures.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot made a massive pre-match decision, leaving star forward Mohamed Salah and striker Alexander Isak out of the starting lineup against Leeds United.
Isak, who started the two previous games, was named on the bench, while Hugo Ekitike took the central attacking role. Slot addressed the call, stating: “It’s never an easy decision.
We all know what a great player he is. But it is also up to me to pick the team that I think we need today. That’s why I made this decision.”
The tactical choice to rest Salah, who has only played 45 minutes in the last two fixtures, precedes crucial fixtures against Inter Milan midweek and Brighton next weekend—the final two games Salah can start before his AFCON departure.
Slot also stressed adapting to the rival, noting: “We try to adapt as best as we can to their strength and hopefully we can hurt them.”