Mo Salah and Transition: What Salah not being in the First Team Means and How It Effects the Future

By Steven Northover

Credits - Liverpool Echo

What a difference a week makes. 

This time last week (at the time of writing), the Liverpool world was coming to terms with Mohammed Salah accusing the club of ‘throwing him under the bus’ after the team's run of poor form. 

Whatever the validity of his statement, it meant he was left out of the team for the following match against Inter Milan, and to some it heralded the end of the Egyptian's time at Anfield. 

It did bring about a much wider question of ‘After Salah, What's next?’. 

Before the start of the season, a world where Liverpool played - and were successful - without their talismanic presence of the four times Premier League golden boot winner was unthinkable. 

However following a slow start to this season, where Salah has scored just four league goals since the start this term, questions of his value to the first team were questioned. 

So the opportunity presented itself against the Milanese giants for Slot to finally look towards the future. No longer required to play a formation that ‘best fit’ the winger, Liverpool were set up in a formation that best reflected the make-up of the rest of the team and it was…good. 

Liverpool weren't at their best, and Inter were guilty of missing their own chances throughout the match, but it was a Reds side that seemed more collective, and more resilient than they had been at any point this season. 

It's telling, then, that even when Salah returned to the first team, it was as a substitute. 

But if the performance against Inter was good, then against Brighton, Liverpool were very good as the Seagulls were limited to snap shots and chances from outside the box.

Whilst Liverpool were able to control the game largely throughout, on a different day Ekitike (et al) would have scored more and Salah was at the heart of almost all of it. 

His introduction for the injured Joe Gomez after 26 minutes was earlier than anyone was expecting, but his impact was almost immediate by almost laying off Ekitike for his second, after only seconds on the pitch. 

Salah did eventually get his assist on the hour, but his extended cameo proved one thing - Liverpool still need him, but at the same time, they can play without him. 

The Egyptian National team have now convened ahead of the start of the African Cup of Nations. If all goes well and they reach the final, Liverpool will be without Salah for eight games - including notable fixtures, such as Saturday's clash against Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal on 8 January, so fans and the rest of the footballing world are likely to see what a Liverpool side without Salah will look like and what importance the winger still has at Anfield. 

If the last two matches are anything to go by, whatever happens, the Reds are in rude health.