Former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney defended the position of Liverpool manager Arne Slot but insisted that the Dutch boss must drop Mohamed Salah during this disastrous run of form.
Salah is enduring one of his worst seasons in a Liverpool shirt, straight off the back of arguably his best in 2024–25. The reigning Premier League Player of the Year boasts just four goals in 12 top-flight games—he had 10 at this stage of the previous campaign.
As his attacking output diminishes, focus has shifted towards his defensive work rate—or lack thereof. Slot freely admits that his star forward operates under different requirements to ensure that his energy is saved for the sharp end of the pitch. Yet, teams have increasingly targeted the flank which Salah routinely leaves unguarded.
This very weekend, Nottingham Forest scored their second goal of a 3–0 Anfield win by buccaneering down Liverpool’s right wing, with Neco Williams running off Salah’s shoulder to tee up Nicolò Savona. Throughout the Premier League season, 22% of the shots Liverpool have faced have come down that flank—the highest such proportion in the division—compared to just 10% on the opposite side, per WhoScored.
Rooney called out Liverpool’s talisman. “Salah is not helping them defensively,” he told his self-titled podcast.
“If you’re one of the players who they’ve signed and you’re on the bench and you’ve seen him not running—and again he’s a club legend and everything he’s done for the club—but if you’re on the bench, then what message does that send to you?
“If I was Slot, I’d try and make a big decision just so it has an impact on the rest of the team.” When asked by Kelly Somers to clarify if he meant dropping Salah, Rooney confirmed that was his stance.
“When you’re not winning games, you want to try and stay compact and hard to beat, so I think while they’re going through this period, 100% he needs to make a decision,” the retired England captain doubled down.
What a difference a year makes.
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Liverpool have been humbled at home by Nottingham Forest - how do they stop the rot? pic.twitter.com/lblXmaHcpl
Rooney did go on to point out the impact of Diogo Jota’s tragic passing as an undeniable factor behind Liverpool’s form. Salah hinted at the impact of this devastating loss on the opening night of the season after breaking down in tears in front of the Kop while Jota’s chant was being belted out.
“You’ve probably got to look at the effect of what sadly happened to Jota,” Rooney added. “What effect does that have on the players because that’s his teammates? That surely has to have an effect.”
However, he still concluded: “But then there’s no excuse for not fighting and not tackling.”
Slot Under Pressure
Salah may have come under Rooney’s wrath but Slot has still got some credit with the pundit.
“With Slot, [former Liverpool manager Jürgen] Klopp keeps getting brought up. ‘He’s not Jürgen Klopp, he’s not as good as Jürgen Klopp.’” Rooney mused. “But I think the Liverpool fans just need to move away from that and get behind him.”
Manchester United’s all-time top scorer saw some worrying similarities between his former employers and Liverpool. “It’s a bit like the presence with Sir Alex Ferguson,” Rooney claimed. “For instance, when David Moyes came in [at Manchester United] and [Louis] Van Gaal, Fergie’s name would always get brought up.”
Rooney’s former United teammate Gary Neville was less forgiving than his compatriot.
“You can’t lose six games in seven if you are Liverpool Football Club,” the Sky Sports pundit warned. “It’s unacceptable. The manager has to change the style or the system and help them. It means being more solid, personnel changes.”
Rather than dropping Salah, Neville called for other tactical switches.
“[Milos] Kerkez is struggling, [Ibrahima] Konaté is struggling,” the retired defender pointed out. “I called on it a few weeks ago, I said maybe Joe Gomez should play right back, Andy Robertson at left back and play as a narrow back four. Be a bit more pragmatic. Something has to change in the collective.
“From an individual perspective you have to strip it right back to the foundations, whether that’s sleep, stretching, eating, the tiny details. Do everything better.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Wayne Rooney Rules on Arne Slot Sack, Fires Tactical Demand.
