Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk admitted Mohamed Salah’s omission from the team for the second successive match should serve as a reminder that no-one’s place is guaranteed.
The Egypt international was an unused substitute for Sunday’s win at West Ham and he was on the bench for the 1-1 draw at home to Sunderland, the first time in his Anfield career he had not started in back-to-back league matches.
He did get on for the second half but struggled to make an impact and is now goalless in five matches, with a longer trend of scoring seven times in 30 appearances contributing to his vulnerability in the starting line-up.
Salah may have scored 250 goals across eight and a bit seasons — never managing fewer than 23 — but he has got just two since Sept. 17 with his malaise being reflected across the squad in general.
“That’s always been the case. It’s not like you have unlimited credit, everyone has to perform,” Van Dijk said, when asked whether Salah’s omission had sent a message to the dressing room.
“Mo has been doing that but the manager made that decision in the last two games. We all want the best for the club.
“I am pretty sure Mo will still be a big part of what we are trying to achieve because he is an amazing player and he has shown it consistently.
“But we are all trying to find consistency and he needs us to be in our best shape and we need him and that’s what we are all trying to find.
“He is still a fantastic player and we still have to remember there is a reason why he has been so successful at the club and we have to respect that.
“I need him around as one of the leaders. I’m not worried. He’s disappointed but that’s absolutely normal as if you’re not disappointed when you’re not playing two games in a row then there is an issue as well.”
Having stopped the rot of nine defeats in 12 matches at West Ham, Arne Slot’s side did not manage to build any momentum, with their performance against Sunderland falling flat.
Florian Wirtz, whose deflected shot brought an 81st-minute equaliser, continues to show signs of rediscovering the form he had at Bayer Leverkusen which persuaded the club to commit to a £116 million ($154.8m) deal to sign him in the summer.
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“There’s a very good reason why a club like us bought him — he’s an outstanding, world-class player in my eyes who can only become even better but it will take a bit of time,” said Van Dijk.
“For him he has to stay level-headed. Don’t get dragged into the outside world of when it’s very good or very bad and don’t get dragged into the numbers game.
“Nowadays there are a lot of eyes on if you score goals or have an assist or keep clean sheets but it is also about what you see and the contribution you have for the team, that’s not just shown in the numbers but in what you see and that should sometimes be the focus.”
