Mo Salah: How could Liverpool line up without the Egypt forward during AFCON? | Football News

Mohamed Salah has left Liverpool to lead Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where he could be absent for as many as eight games if the Pharaohs reach the final in Morocco on January 18. So how could Arne Slot reshape his side without the star forward?

Liverpool’s Saturday Night Football trip to Tottenham Hotspur, however, is not the first time this season Slot has picked a team without Salah in the starting lineup, with the 33-year-old having been benched for the champions’ last five games in a row.

In total, Salah has now been a substitute in seven matches so far this campaign, firstly when he was rested for the club’s Champions League trips to Galatasaray and Eintracht Frankfurt in September and October respectively.

And then when the player was left out for tactical reasons for recent Premier League games with West Ham United, Sunderland, Leeds United and Brighton & Hove Albion, as well as his absence from the Reds matchday squad altogether for the Champions League clash at Inter Milan earlier this month after he claimed he has been “thrown under the bus” by the club.

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In those matches, Slot used different personnel on the right-hand side of the attack, as well as tweaking his formation, giving a clue as to how he may now go about setting his team up without Salah.

Frimpong as a pacy wing-back

Galatasaray (a)

Formation
4-2-3-1

Who replaced Salah on the right?
Jeremie Frimpong

How did Slot explain the changes
“Jeremie played a lot of times as right winger for Leverkusen, he played there for us in pre-season.

“He’s one of the players who can replace Mo in that position. I don’t see many others who can play in that position which is their favourite to them, it’s one of his favourite positions, he plays there for the national team always.

“Normally, normally, normally they [Galatasaray] play with the left winger inverted and the full-back really high, then the left winger goes inverted, he plays in the midfield, so Dom [Szoboszlai] is in the midfield and Jeremie plays as some kind of a wing-back.

“Mo has played a lot of minutes already, so we decided to do it today like this and I think in the first half I was quite happy with the way we played actually.”

How well did it work?
This was the first time this season Slot opted to try Frimpong in his more favoured role on the right side of Liverpool’s attack, as opposed to full-back where he had begun the campaign.

Frimpong’s pace should make him a dangerous opponent in that role, especially if you can get the ball to him in space on the counter-attack. However, after a few early forays into Galatasaray’s area, where his final ball let him down, the Dutchman’s influence waned and he was hooked just past the hour mark as the Reds went down to defeat in Istanbul.

A recurring hamstring issue has meant Slot has been unable to revisit this tactic, but with the player now back in training and available, could the Dutchman give it a go again in Salah’s absence?

Szoboszlai tucked in as part of a 4-4-2

Frankfurt & Leeds (a)

Formation
4-4-2

Who replaced Salah on the right?
Dominik Szoboszlai

How did Slot explain the changes
“We are hoping and expecting Frimpong to create something for these two from the right side and Cody Gakpo trying to do the same off the left, with Florian Wirtz’s creativity in and around our two No 9s,” said the Reds boss ahead of the Frankfurt game.

“Against Leeds, a 5-3-2, I played a 4-4-2 diamond, Szoboszlai off the right, Gakpo off the left, Wirtz in between, I could have played Mo off the right.”

How well did it work?
The team scored eight goals on the road, including two by Salah’s replacement, Szoboszlai, who also contributed an assist in Germany, so from that point of view it worked pretty well.

Slot went with different right backs in this newly tried 4-4-2 formation [although Frimpong went off injured after only 19 minutes in Frankfurt] and they were pushed forward to allow Szoboszlai to play more infield in a narrow midfield.

However, the difference between the two lineups was the Reds went with two out-and-out No 9s at the Commerzbank-Arena in October, whereas it was Wirtz playing just off Hugo Ekitike as a No 10 at Elland Road, both with limited success.

Szoboszlai as a right winger

West Ham (a), Sunderland (h) & Brighton (h)

Formation
4-2-3-1

Who replaced Salah on the right?
Dominik Szoboszlai

How did Slot explain the changes
“I think as a team we struggled. More and more with the game plans against us, I’m not speaking only about the long ball, teams do that against us a lot, I’ve tried to find solutions, that’s my job.

“I do many things, we looked vulnerable against [Nottingham] Forest and PSV [Eindhoven], so I tried to play with an extra midfielder, against West Ham.”

How well did it work?
Liverpool certainly looked the most balanced in this formation, with Slot sacrificing an attacker in order to play two No 6s in front of a back four that had shipped a remarkable seven goals in their previous two games at Anfield.

It was Szoboszlai again tasked with filling in for Salah on the right, although playing less infield than in the above 4-4-2 and linking up more with his right back.

There is no doubt the champions were far harder to penetrate, with Slot often referencing how few chances his side gave up in these three games [they also only conceded once], but that appeared to stymie their attacking threat.

Szoboszlai as an advanced right midfielder

Inter (a)

Formation
4-1-2-1-2

Who replaced Salah on the right?
Dominik Szoboszlai

How did Slot explain the changes
“The thinking behind the lineup is there are not so many available, and in my opinion, if you don’t have wingers available, it’s I think the most logical thing to do to play with two No 9s.

“It’s not the first time that we’ve played this system, maybe against Leeds we did something similar to what we do tonight. But for them [Alexander Isak and Ekitike], it’s, after the Frankfurt game, the first time they play together.”

How well did it work?
Perhaps the best so far, with Szoboszlai not only linking up well with the front two, but also forming a strong partnership down the right with his full back as Liverpool restricted Inter to just two shots on target all game.

And you wonder if Slot may revert to this setup for Saturday’s clash in north London – where Szoboszlai is expected to be fit for – especially if he wants to play both Isak and Ekitike up front, while also trying to keep it tight at the back as his side managed so well at San Siro.

How could Semenyo’s January arrival affect things?

Formation
4-3-3

Who replaced Salah on the right?
Antoine Semenyo

How well could it work?
There is, of course, the possibility Bournemouth forward Semenyo has already joined Liverpool by the time Salah returns from the AFCONs.

The Reds have long been keen on the exciting Ghana international, who has a £65m release clause in his contract which becomes active on January 1, with sporting director Richard Hughes having brought the 25-year-old to the Vitality Stadium from Bristol City in 2023.

Semenyo has since scored 29 goals in over 100 appearances for the Cherries and is perfectly capable of operating on either flank, with his minutes having been shared almost equally between the left and the right wing this season.

That is one of the main reasons the player is not only currently attracting Liverpool, but also the likes of Tottenham and both Manchester clubs.

However, were the Reds able to convince Semenyo his future would be best served at Anfield, then Slot would have a readymade replacement for Salah on the right who could seamlessly fit into his favoured 4-3-3 formation that took Liverpool to last season’s title.

Watch Tottenham vs Liverpool from 5pm [kick-off 5.30pm] on Saturday on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event