Arne Slot admits Liverpool have an over-reliance on Mohamed Salah but is confident the returning Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott would be adequate replacements should the Egyptian be hit by injury.
Salah has scored 11 goals and added seven assists in 13 Premier League games this season, remarkably numbers that have played a key role in the Reds establishing a nine-point advantage over Arsenal at the top of the table.
The former Roma forward missed six weeks at the start of 2024 with a hamstring injury sustained at the African Cup of Nations and while Slot is confident Liverpool could cope without him, he would rather Salah stayed fit.
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— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 3, 2024
Speaking ahead of tomorrow night’s trip to Newcastle, Slot said: “Is it a danger putting too much on him? A bit, but only for the fact that he can. It happened to him last season that he can get an injury as well and since Federico Chiesa has had a difficult start to the club because of injuries, we don’t really have a replacement for Mo.
“The good thing is that Harvey Elliott is getting fitter again and he played this position many times as well. I’m not afraid that Mo’s numbers will drop at all. When it comes to an injury of him, then we are in a better position on the left wing than we are on the right.
“Federico is also training with us. He is getting back and Harvey is getting back, but the best thing that can happen to us is that Mo stays fit and keeps producing these numbers.”
Window opens in less than a month
If Liverpool did decide to bolster their options on the right wing then January represents their next opportunity.
The club were relatively quiet in the summer window but Slot says they continue to scour the market for opportunities.
“We are having discussions every day, no matter if there’s a window coming up or not,” he said. “We always talk about the team, which players we like, which players are maybe not in the best place.
“From the beginning of the season, I was so, so happy with the squad. That’s not to say if there will be a chance in the market, this club will not look. This club has always shown it will work.”
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— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 2, 2024
Gomez to continue tomorrow night
Joe Gomez will deputise again for the injured Ibrahima Konate at St James’ Park tomorrow against a club he was heavily linked with over the summer.
Gomez impressed against Manchester City on Sunday and Slot is an admirer of the 27-year-old Londoner.
“Everyone sees his quality, but [his performance against City] shows his mentality. It’s not always easy to come in during the game and play and do so well.
“He is patient in a good way, he is always ready whenever the club or his team-mates need him and that is special when it comes to his mentality because not many players can do this for so many years that he has.
“Last season, he played many, many, many games, you could call him a starter that season and, in some other seasons, he was more of the second choice in every other position in the last line.
“For him to keep doing this, probably tells you a lot about his mentality but also, what he does on a daily basis in training sessions because he’s incredibly fit and he’s ready to perform. That is more special than people think it is. That is definitely true.”
We’ve been here before – Slot
Slot does not feel his players will be fazed by their advantage at the Premier League summit given the experiences they gained under his predecessor Jurgen Klopp, who had Liverpool regularly competing for the title.
He said: “This club, this team, these players are used to the fact that they are top of the league or they are competing for every trophy so that helps. They also have that experience that they’ve competed for a long time.
“They also know how to win the league against the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and City, because I see those three as our main competitors at the moment. They all know that for nine to 10 months, we have to be on top of our game.”
