Arne Slot would be crazy to listen to Liverpool fans and start 'electric' player vs West Ham - opinion
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A big portion of the Liverpool fanbase felt vindication at long last on Sunday as Rio Ngumoha delivered a barnstorming cameo against Nottingham Forest.The youngster’s brilliantly ballsy wing play has seen a renewed clamour for him to start Saturday’s game against West Ham.The argument is that with Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah misfiring, Ngumoha‘s ability to induce panic within the opposition make him a better option for Arne Slot. CHANGE MY MIND: Liverpool will drop points vs West Ham if Wirtz doesn’t play 👀 He's our most important player right now, not Szoboszlai Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images However, Slot has always been consistent that the 17-year-old is a player to be used from the bench in the Premier League, and despite constant calls for him to revise that strategy, he really must hold firm.As Daniel Sturridge said, Ngumoha was ‘electric’ against Forest and his potential is undeniable, but where is the need to heap even more pressure on his young shoulders?
Prior to that he sat out of virtually the whole 2023/24 campaign as he tried to play catch up.The odd start here and there is perhaps not going to harm Ngumoha, but at the same time Liverpool should not be having to rely on a 17-year-old to win Premier League matches. Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images Liverpool have enough to beat West HamThe main argument for starting Ngumoha against West Ham is that he is offering more than both Gakpo and Salah on the Liverpool wing.Although that was the case on Sunday, the two senior pros should have had the fire lit underneath them from seeing the fallout from Ngumoha’s display.The reaction should have hurt both players and made them even more determined to set the record straight against the Hammers.
Putting Ngumoha into the starting XI would be unnecessary and could potentially have a negative impact on whoever is dropped.As the teenager is not going to be playing week in, week out, Slot has a responsibility to keep the harmony within the Liverpool squad. Slot is not going to start Ngumoha and nor should he.