Liverpool confirm ENORMOUS Arne Slot u-turn is close

If you're truly a 'great' team, you've got to be able to deal with adversity when you're faced with it.

Despite what many would've expected to see from Liverpool's £450m spend in the summer, the club has really struggled to get adequate performances on the pitch. At first, the Reds were able to get away with it, scoring late goals, but once those dried up, the team's flaws were laid bare for all to see.

A period of nine losses in 12 games unfolded and claims were made that potentially Arne Slot was at risk of losing his job if the poor form continued. There didn't seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel, with 10 goals being conceded against Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and PSV. Squad options were limited; it was just about raising the output levels, certainly a lot easier said than done.

With his back against the wall, Slot made a bold call ahead of Liverpool's contest against West Ham, and despite a lot of people's doubts, it worked. Moving forward, the team should be able to play with confidence and the Dutchman might have inadvertently created a blueprint for success this winter.

Salah out of the XI was a GENIUS call

On the back of the PSV defeat, Slot made four changes - Joe Gomez at right-back for Curtis Jones, Alexander Isak at striker for Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz in a free role for Mohamed Salah at right-wing and Alisson back in for Giorgi Mamardashvili after the Brazilian spent the week out with an illness.

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The headline was that Salah had been 'dropped', and while the term can be quite unsavoury, you felt as though Slot needed to roll the dice in order to end the rut. Unfortunately, the Egyptian was picked.

By no means has the all-time Premier League great been horrific this season - he actually has five goals and three assists across all competitions this season, which is in line with rival Bukayo Saka.

At times, it was noticeable that Liverpool were lacking a presence down the right side, as a result of Salah being absent from proceedings, but the team had more compactness, which eventually helped us to break down Nuno Espirito Santo's Hammers. A lot of different things fell into place for Slot.

Wirtz had an excellent game running the channels because the solid midfield of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai backed him up and Cody Gakpo regularly got the ball down the left-side, earning a goal and an assist from three key passes and two big chances created.

And here lies the major positive for Slot to take away - the replicability of the new system he utilised.

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In just a few weeks (likely four games time), Salah will have to leave Liverpool for Morocco, joining up with his Egyptian teammates for the African Cup of Nations, where he will be leading his country.

The tournament takes place every two years, normally during the winter, and the Reds have to adapt to not having their best player available for what is ordinarily the most hectic period of the season.

Each of the last two disputed campaigns - 2021/22 and 2023/24 - have seen Salah deliver 36 and 38 goal contributions respectively, despite the six to eight game absence. He's relentless in front of goal.

But this season looks to be different, with the 33-year-old delivering some more ordinary numbers, which are miles off his usual standards. And the Reds' form has dipped in direct correlation with him.

What's important, however, is how Liverpool weren't reliant on Salah to get the win against West Ham on Sunday, since the Egyptian didn't feature for a single minute. After the Anfield contest against Brighton, Salah will be off - per current intel - and Slot will need to keep the team going.

In previous campaigns where there's been a break for AFCON, Liverpool have done just that.

During the six games Salah missed for the competition in 2022, the Reds won five games and drew one. Two years later in 2024, the team secured six wins, one draw and one loss from eight games.

Of course, the caveat is that each of those seasons were overseen by Jurgen Klopp and not Slot, but Arsenal were played four times in those 14 games - two wins, one draw and one loss. This season, it's expected that Salah still be unavailable for when the team visits the Emirates in early January.

There are signs - especially with Milos Kerkez, Wirtz, Isak and Ekitike involved against West Ham, that we're capable of surviving without Salah, and for the short-term future, that's excellent news.

Whether Slot will have the team performing like his predecessor did, is another question, and it's a lot to suggest that a win against 17th in the Premier League is going to lead to an extended period of form, but there's something to build upon, which is more than we could say three weeks ago.