Arne Slot answer to Mohamed Salah Liverpool problem is staring him in the face

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This week's Blood Red column assesses the current situation of Mohamed Salah and why Arne Slot has an obvious, short-term solution at his disposalWhen Arne Slot sent on Federico Chiesa to save Liverpool against Sunderland on Wednesday night, the timely intervention that eventually came from the Italian was not quite what had been hoped for. Rather than fire in another late goal or create a timely assist, Chiesa, this time, found himself chasing down Wilson Isidor from the halfway line before ensuring he was in the right spot to deny a dramatic winner for the Black Cats as he cleared off the line.Defeat, particularly for Slot, was unthinkable against Regis Le Bris's side and had Chiesa not been alert and willing to chase back, the latest post-match inquest might have reflected even less favourably on an embattled head coach, whose penchant for game-changing alterations has largely deserted him this term, certainly in more recent weeks at least.Once more, in an effort to rescue a victory, the head coach piled on the attacking players and saw the structure of the team suffer as a result and had Chiesa not raced back after goalkeeper Robin Roefs had put Isidor clean through on goal after successfully defending a corner, Liverpool would be staring down the barrel of another damaging home defeat.READ MORE: Dominik Szoboszlai backs Arne Slot to find solutions to Liverpool problems - 'Everything has to change'READ MORE: Arne Slot shares Liverpool injury boost and scare and explains Federico Chiesa decisionThe fear factor and mystique which Anfield has so often been shrouded in for those who visit as the opposition has faded in recent weeks.

The forward may yet to have truly rediscovered the sort of form he displayed when starring for Italy in their successful European Championship campaign over four years ago, but there's a reason the likable attacker has his terrace anthem sung with such gusto every week.Not since his classy volley against Bournemouth in mid-August was it belted out as heartily as it was on Wednesday night after he had preserved a point with his clearance, and at a time when Mohamed Salah has been dropped from the team, the solution to that particular conundrum, even if it is only temporary, is staring Slot in the face.It's understandable, to an extent, why Slot's call to keep Salah in reserve in back-to-back Premier League games has become such a talking point. Hopefully the dry spell lasts one more game.”Farke was not simply paying lip-service to Salah's past glories but a more pressing issue for all concerned is that the talisman now has just three games to go until he jets off to Morocco with his Egypt colleagues for the Africa Cup of Nations.The Pharaohs' fortunes at AFCON may see Salah away from club duty until late January and the short-term plan for his Liverpool absence is more important now than establishing a longer term one for when he eventually calls time in England.It's why using Chiesa in a more prominent role makes sense for now.

His infectious work ethic won't hurt a confidence-shot team who are still emerging from a harrowing two months that has threatened to blow their entire campaign off course.Already this season, Chiesa has scored a decisive goal against Bournemouth, levelled at Crystal Palace and grabbed an assist against Manchester United. For a player who has played just 143 minutes in the Premier League, it is a significant return at a time when the side generally look laboured and bereft of ideas in the final third.With the jet-heeled and Jeremie Frimpong still absent, Chiesa represents the best alternative to Salah on the right side of the attack to help bring the best from Alexander Isak, who needs better and more regular service if he is to begin paying back his enormous transfer fee.Chiesa may not necessarily have been a blue-chip addition when he was signed in the dying embers of the 2024 summer window on account of a cut-price fee and a hope that he may regain his once lofty reputation.But, for now at least, he should be considered the obvious choice for Slot as a Salah-less period starts to come into focus.