Liverpool advised over 'strange' Salah situation amid brutal Arne Slot call

Mohamed Salah has been in poor form for Liverpool this season and has been left out of their line-up for Wednesday night's Champions League clash at Eintracht Frankfurt

Ex-Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen has weighed in on Mohamed Salah's current slump at Liverpool. The Egyptian has been struggling to replicate his stellar form from last season.

The Reds are hoping to dodge a fifth consecutive loss in all competitions as they gear up to face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League this Wednesday night. In a surprising move, manager Arne Slot has decided to bench Salah for the crucial European showdown in Germany.

This bold decision follows Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher's recent comments suggesting that the forward is no longer a guaranteed starter for the Reds. It appears Hugo Ekitike is poised to take over the right wing position, a spot that Liverpool's No.11 has dominated at Anfield since his arrival in 2017.

Meulensteen has offered his insights into what might be going wrong for the 33-year-old this season, following an impressive 2024/2025 campaign where he netted 34 goals for Slot's squad.

"I think the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold might be a factor [in Liverpool's form] as players often build partnerships and connections, instinctively knowing where to pass the ball. I believe this understanding is crucial," he shared via CasinoHawks, a platform for the latest online casinos.

"Florian Wirtz is another player who's still finding his feet. He didn't start against Man Utd, but played well when he came on. The front line simply needs to gel together. Cody Gakpo, who played well on Sunday, is still there, but Mo Salah seemed off.

"This was a bit strange, especially since he recently scored for Egypt in the World Cup qualifiers, helping them reach the World Cup, a significant achievement. However, there were moments yesterday [on Sunday vs Man Utd] where he didn't seem like himself, like the missed shot near the goal.

"Technically, it was a complete misconnection, when normally he would open up his body and place it into the far corner."

Whilst plenty will be wondering what's behind Salah's unexpected dip in form, Meulensteen reckons there's no need for alarm.

He added: "Salah is an experienced player. In my opinion, we shouldn't expend too much energy on it; like I said with Arne, just reassure and reinforce him.

"Last year, they found a good defensive role for Salah, while also giving him the freedom to hold certain positions from which Liverpool could quickly counter-attack.

"They executed this brilliantly. I think it's a combination of so many young, new players settling in, and he's just going through a bit of a poor spell at the moment, but he'll come good. He hasn't become a bad player overnight."