Liverpool face a tricky trip to Milan without Mo Salah in their 19-man squad for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Internazionale, via Liverpoolfc.com.
The Reds departed Merseyside on Monday afternoon after a session at Kirkby, preparing for the sixth matchday of the group stage.
Salah absence and Liverpool’s European challenge
The decision to leave the Egyptian forward behind comes with full support from our head coach Arne Slot, with sporting director Richard Hughes reportedly central to the choice.
Paul Gorst confirmed Salah was omitted from the travelling squad, emphasising he has not been fined following his Elland Road outburst where he claimed he was “thrown under the bus”.
Lewis Steele added that the club believes a brief period away from selection is “in everyone’s best interests”, making it clear this is a decision based on team management rather than punishment.
The absence of Salah, combined with injuries to Cody Gakpo and Chiesa, leaves us heading to Italy without some of our most influential attacking options.
Fans will be concerned about how we can secure a result with fewer attacking options in the squad.
Context from recent matches and squad dynamics
Salah’s post-Leeds comments underline the tension, as he admitted that “all of the sudden, we don’t have any relationship” and suggested the club were using him as a scapegoat.
His frustration came after three consecutive bench appearances, despite signing a new contract at the end of our Premier League-winning campaign.
Liverpool will rely on players such as Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Alexander Isak to provide the firepower in Milan.
The Reds’ 3-3 draw with Leeds highlighted our defensive fragility, conceding late goals and soft penalties, making Salah’s absence even more noticeable.
The squad will need collective discipline to prevent another collapse away from home.
Slot and Hughes face a delicate balancing act, ensuring team unity while navigating one of the most high-pressure weeks of the season.
For Salah, this brief exclusion may mark a turning point in his relationship with the club, and how we respond in Milan will define our European campaign.
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Both slot and Hughes are playing a very dangerous game. With injuries and the squad already thin, Salah’s omission could come back to haunt them. Inter is certainly no pushover as they have gone all the way to the finals just to be beaten by psg last year. Bear in mind psg was godlike last year.
I’ll tell you what it means more bloody Jones if we haven’t got better than him we should pack up altogether 🤬
Looking like Richard Hughes is running the football club, Transfers and making football decisions. Slot is just a yes man. The decision to sell Salah was made in the meeting days ago. Hughes has lined up the replacement, another player from Bournemouth. You could argue that it’s the correct decision to drop and sell Salah, but not if we keep losing. Our best player, our star player who’s scored 250 goals and 100 assist gets dropped while others never get dropped. Has Salah been made the scapegoat to cut the wage bill.
Keep losing games the pressure will then turn on FSG.
Why does Richard Hughes have so much power at Liverpool football club. When he’s made so many mistakes. The biggest one wirtz. 116 million worth. Deflect the blame onto Salah.