‘I know what Mo Salah will be thinking – Trent Alexander-Arnold never made this mistake’

The departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold was discussed by Theo Walcott, who broke down why Mohamed Salah would be missing the ex-Liverpool star this season

Theo Walcott believes Mohamed Salah will be missing his partnership with Trent Alexander-Arnold because the ex-Liverpool star knew what he wanted. Since the Egyptian signed for the Reds in 2017, he has always had the England star behind him as his right-back, with the exception of this season.

Alexander-Arnold opted to leave Anfield after 20 years to sign for Real Madrid this past summer. Upon his departure, Arne Slot signed Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, who was expected to challenge Conor Bradley for the right-back spot.

Twelve games into the season, both players have failed to stake their claim to be a consistent starter in the role. The Dutchman is now set for another stint on the sidelines after injuring his hamstring in the 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Their struggles and the absence of Alexander-Arnold certainly hasn’t help Salah in what has been his worst start to season in a Liverpool shirt. The 33-year-old has just three goals to his name in all competitions.

It’s not just his lack of end product that has come under criticism from media and fans alike, but the dwindling of his influence on games. The dramatic shift in his form led Slot to drop him in the Champions League trip to Germany, just days after he subbed the winger off as the Reds chased a winner in their 2-1 loss to Manchester United.

READ MORE: Arne Slot hints at Mo Salah’s big Liverpool problem after response to being droppedREAD MORE: Arne Slot issues Alexander Isak update and says Liverpool star ‘isn’t in a good place’

Speaking on the It’s Called Soccer podcast, Walcott said the understanding Salah had with Alexander-Arnold over not crowding his space at the top end of the pitch is not one he’s developed yet with his current right-backs.

He said: “I remember as a winger when I had someone like Bacary Sagna behind me or [Emmanuel] Eboue or whoever it would be, I always wanted them to stay behind me [and] stop dragging players in my space.

“You look who his full-back was, [it was] always Trent [who] set it back and whipped it in. He never made runs behind Salah. Virgil van Dijk always had that cover and going on about Trent not being the best defensively, however, he made Virgil into a better player because he would delay it.”

Slot even admitted Salah’s struggles could be due to Alexander-Arnold’s exit and insisted time is needed for the Liverpool talisman to build a connection on the pitch with the signings they brought in the summer.

In his post-match press conference ahead of their Saturday trip to Brentford, the Reds boss told media: “It has been a difficult moment for all of us. No one is used to losing, for all the players that have played here for so many years, and even for the new players as well because we started the season with seven wins.

“Maybe his whole Liverpool player he played with Trent, so it could (be that). But he’s been in promising positions often enough to score goals, maybe with Trent even more. But in general, if you have quite a few changes in the summer you have to find new connections. Mo is no exception to this.”

Salah has now gone six games without a goal and has registered just one assist in that time. He faced widespread criticism on social media after the victory in Frankfurt when failing to square the ball to Florian Wirtz in the 89th minute which would have left the German to tap home into an empty net. He instead opted for the shot but it was saved by Michael Zetterer.

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