Have you ever managed a team? Liverpool manager Arne Slot was irritated by a Turkish football expert after being pressed about tactics allegedly causing Salah's form to drop.
On 10 Mar 2026 GMT+7, Arne Slot, manager of Liverpool, currently sixth in the English Premier League, showed displeasure towards a reporter asking about his use of various right-backs—Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones, and Dominik Szoboszlai—and whether this rotation might disrupt the team's system and affect Mohamed Salah's performance. This was ahead of Liverpool's UEFA Champions League 2025-26 Round of 16 first-leg away match against Galatasaray, leaders of the Turkish league, scheduled for Tuesday, 10 March.
Turkish football expert Serdar Kelleci asked: "You use several different players at right-back and try to build your attacking setup from there. Are you facing difficulties adapting that tactic? Could the frequent changes in the right-back position be why Salah's form has declined?"
Arne Slot retorted, "Have you ever been a coach? No, you haven't. You mentioned only four names, but this season I've rotated five or six players in that position."
"Dominik Szoboszlai has also performed well at right-back and in midfield. I have many options, which hasn't always been the case. Usually, we rely on around 13 or 14 players, but in the Wolves game, I was able to change the course of the match with substitutes, which is a new dimension for us."
"If I play Szoboszlai at right-back, it's because I believe he's the best option there, not because we lack alternatives. The more players available, the better, since sometimes they get tired towards the end of the season."
This season, Slot has faced significant defensive challenges due to continuous injuries at right-back. Jeremy Frimpong has suffered repeated injuries, and Conor Bradley is out for the season. This forced him to deploy versatile players like Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones, Wataru Endo, and Dominik Szoboszlai as makeshift right-backs. Among these, Szoboszlai has stood out as the most effective in that role.