Salah is the most important for Liverpool, not Isak and Ekitike
Srećko Šijaković 
Liverpool can’t do without Mohamed Salah. He has won everything with the club, and his lack of motivation has been visible for years now. When Liverpool won the Premier League title under Klopp’s season, Salah was simply brilliant — deciding matches with ease. Arne Slot had him last season, and he was fantastic then, too.
But the situation has changed. Salah was once young and full of joy when playing football. He was hungry for goals and success, always smiling and passionate. He would score with style. He reached the level of being the best player in the Premier League and one of the best in the world. He led Liverpool to winning multiple Premier League titles, the Champions League trophy, and the Champions League final, as well as several cups. He truly was, for many years, the best in the Premier League and also in the world.
Now, Salah is not involved in football completely. He wants to leave Liverpool and seek new experiences, maybe even to leave football forever. The difficult period at Liverpool has clearly left a mark on him. He is not in focus to play football, and you can tell he would prefer not to play in the coming weeks.
When Liverpool won the Premier League before Slot’s arrival, Salah scored more than fourteen goals and provided many assists, reaching an incredible GA (goals + assists) index. They don’t have that version of Salah anymore — and that’s the problem.
It’s impossible to overstate Salah’s importance to Liverpool’s play. Many people seem to forget that Salah is a far greater player and star than Wirtz, Ekitike, or Isak.
Liverpool’s strong start last season was the key reason they won the title. They were unstoppable in the first months — winning everything and looking untouchable on the field. The main reason for that dominance was Mohamed Salah, who was absolutely brilliant in the season’s opening phase. He gained that form until December.
But Salah is not playing even close to that level, which is a key problem. Salah isn’t giving enough impact, and that is the problem. The focus is now on new players.
Tactics in this season: Arne Slot’s problems and troubles
However, Dominik Szoboszlai has become a major problem for Liverpool. Playing him as a number 10 doesn’t bring good results. Liverpool were lucky that Gakpo managed to score, and their only goal against Manchester United came after a piece of magic and a brilliant assist by Florian Wirtz.
Harvey Elliott, who is on loan at Aston Villa, could have been a perfect attacking midfielder instead of Szoboszlai. On the left wing, Slot could use Díaz, while Gakpo could act as a right-sided false nine.
But in the end, we will keep hearing the same things at Slot’s press conferences — always about Isak, Wirtz, Ekitike — the “Slot babies.”
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