It's time for Arne Slot to axe Liverpool star who just had 'his worst game' for the club - opinion
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Rio Ngumoha’s impressive cameo against Nottingham Forest should give Arne Slot the confidence he needs to start Trey Nyoni when Liverpool play West Ham.Ngumoha did more in 13 minutes than Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo managed all game at the City Ground.Daniel Sturridge lauded the Academy product post-match, as did various other high-profile names. 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 His display was one of the few positives from the Forest win, but it’s now time for Slot to make a bold call on another Liverpool youngster.Even when Liverpool are winning games this season, fans have grown tired of the lacklustre nature of the showings.Slot clearly can’t get a consistent tune out of his current senior options, but Rio has shown that fresh blood from the Academy is exactly what is needed to change that.The winger added pace, skills, and, most importantly, was not afraid to drive at the opposition backline.So, with Liverpool’s midfield a ‘big problem’ this season, it’s time for Slot to make a change on that front as well.Despite scoring the only goal of the match, Frank Leboeuf said that Alexis Mac Allister had ‘his worst game’ ever for Liverpool this past weekend.The Argentine’s decline in form since the title-winning campaign has been a serious concern, but there are no senior options he can be replaced with.At present, Curtis Jones is the only one who can fill that role, and as we saw against Forest, Jones holds on to the ball for too long, which prevents Liverpool from getting up the field quickly and often leads to opponents getting possession back easily.Nyoni, on the other hand, is the complete opposite.
He may only have seven senior appearances under his belt this term, only two of which were as a starter. But just like Ngumoha, we have already seen enough to know he’ll add some much-needed urgency and drive to Liverpool’s midfield.Yes, the Reds still need to perform in the Premier League for the next few months to try and secure a Champions League place, so starting a youngster is a risk.But the last several months have made it clear that Slot’s current plans are not working and have dragged Liverpool down to sixth place, so why not give an Academy player a chance to step up?It’s not like Mac Allister has been producing world-beating performances either, and if Nyoni plays anything like Rio did against Forest, it will make Liverpool so much better.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox