Liverpool boss Arne Slot shares why he opted to substitute off Mohamed Salah during Champions League win over RB Leipzig
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has revealed why he opted not to let Egyptian star Mohamed Salah play the full 90 minutes in his side's recent 1-0 victory against RB Leipzig.
Earlier on Wednesday (October 23), the Reds marched on to their third successive UEFA Champions League victory of the ongoing season. Darwin Nunez netted the decisive goal in the 27th minute of the away encounter after Salah headed the ball towards the Uruguayan.
Later on, Salah was replaced by Luis Diaz in the 63rd minute of the continental tie. The 32-year-old winger recorded an assist, completed 21 of 28 passes, registered three shots, and made a recovery in the tie.
After the end of the Champions League game at Red Bull Arena, Slot was queried to shed light on why he substituted Salah off in the second half. He responded (h/t Rousing The Kop):
"It's a tough fixture list that we have so... I said before the game about Curtis Jones that he hasn't played 90 minutes yet. He only played two times 75 or 85 minutes, he is not used to playing two games so fast in a row. We have some injuries now, so I have to take good care of the players who have played a lot."
Slot, who has guided Liverpool to 11 wins in 12 total games, added:
"Mo is one of them and on Sunday, a big game is coming up again. So, I need to use as many players as I can use for these next tough weeks and these tough months that are coming up, so that they are all prepared to play."
Salah, who will next feature in Liverpool's league contest at Arsenal on October 27, has opened the 2024-25 season on a brilliant note. He has registered seven goals and as many assists in 12 overall outings.
Which stars will miss Liverpool's next game?
Liverpool, who are atop the Premier League table with 21 points from eight games, will face a difficult battle against Arsenal this weekend. They are confirmed to miss Alisson Becker, Federico Chiesa, and Harvey Elliott due to two injury issues and a fitness issue for the Italian.
Meanwhile, Diogo Jota could also be sidelined with an abdominal injury, which the Portuguese suffered in a recent 2-1 league win against Chelsea. Conor Bradley is also believed to be a major injury concern.
Arsenal, on the other hand, will miss William Saliba due to a suspension. They will also be without Martin Odegaard, Riccardo Calafiori, and Takehiro Tomiyasu owing to respective injuries. Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber could return to action in the upcoming league contest.