Jamie Carragher pointed out that Mohamed Salah’s performances might take a hit with Trent Alexander-Arnold off the pitch, ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final defeat. The England defender is missing action due to an ankle injury and was absent from the Carabao Cup battle with Newcastle at Wembley.
Carragher is concerned that while losing Alexander-Arnold is bad enough for Liverpool, there could be repercussions for Salah’s game.
In his remarks ahead of the game on Sunday, the ex-Liverpool stalwart expressed: “Liverpool is maybe getting in a better one-vs-one defender but will miss Trent Alexander-Arnold’s passing ability and that could affect Mohamed Salah. The combination down that side. It could be a problem.”
Salah endured one of his quietest games in a Liverpool shirt at Wembley and offered next to nothing going forward for the Reds. Newcastle emerged victorious after a dominant performance, with Dan Burn and Alexander Isak finding the net. Federico Chiesa did set up a grandstand finish but it was too little too late from Liverpool.
The Reds are enduring a tricky time with injuries affecting their right-back spot, as Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez also find themselves on the sidelines. Jarell Quansah, an academy product, stepped into the role at Wembley.
Prior to the Newcastle game, Liverpool’s manager Arne Slot sounded confident about filling the gap left by Alexander-Arnold, after a difficult season for Quansah, which started on the opening day against Ipswich.
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He stated: “If being substituted at half-time is a setback then almost every player has more than a few setbacks during his career. In the end that probably went to a situation where he got criticized more than was normal for a player who was taken off at half-time. Mentality-wise it might have been a big moment for him because now he has experienced that people were not only positive about him like last season.
“He also knows now he can fight his way back if people are all of a sudden not positive anymore. He did really well the last few times he had to play for us, even in a position he is not completely used to at right full-back but he has the qualities to play in that position.”
Liverpool’s injury concerns have mounted after the game, with Harvey Elliott limping down the tunnel at full time. The midfielder was on the receiving end of a poor challenge from Joelinton in the final moments.
