At Anfield this season, questions are louder than the chants. Every match brings debates, every lineup choice turns into a storm. And now the focus has turned once again to Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian king whose name once made defenders shake, but whose form in recent games has become the center of heated discussion. Liverpool fans are divided. Some still bow to him as their greatest ever, others whisper that maybe, just maybe, it’s time for a change. And in that shadow, the name of Federico Chiesa has started to rise, a name spoken with excitement and frustration in equal measure.
Sami Mokbel, a senior football voice, tried to answer the burning question that lives inside every Liverpool fan’s mind: why is Arne Slot still starting Salah ahead of Chiesa? Some fans believe Chiesa has shown more hunger, more energy, more creativity in just a few appearances than Salah has in weeks. But the answer, according to Sami, is simple and powerful — this is Mohamed Salah, a player who can win you a football match in the blink of an eye. That one sentence silenced many, but not all.
Because even though Salah has scored three goals this season, fans expected more. They expected his eyes to burn with that old fire, that ruthless edge that once tore apart defences like paper. But the truth is, Liverpool is going through a change, a deep one. With Arne Slot’s arrival, a new system, and the absence of some key players, Salah’s rhythm feels different. He still scores, he still creates, but something about him feels off. Some fans say he is tired. Some say he is being used wrong. Some say the magic is fading. But others, like Sami, believe it’s foolish to write the Egyptian off. You can doubt anyone, but never Salah. Because when he turns up, everything changes.
Meanwhile, Federico Chiesa has quickly become a fan favourite. His energy, speed, and confidence have brought flashes of excitement. In every touch, there is ambition. In every run, there is fire. But Liverpool fans know what it means to have heroes come and go. They’ve seen players arrive with energy only to fade under pressure. And in a team like Liverpool, pressure lives everywhere — in every pass, every shot, every minute. Chiesa has impressed, yes, but dethroning Salah is not that easy. Because Salah is not just a player. He is history. He is the story of Anfield written in golden ink.
Arne Slot knows this too. When he looks at Salah in training, he doesn’t just see a winger. He sees a leader, a man who has carried the club through storms. Slot may be new, but he knows legends are not replaced — they are managed. And that’s what he’s trying to do, balance the old power with new energy. Still, fans are restless. They watch Salah struggle for control, lose possession, and they ask, why not Chiesa? Why not give the Italian a run of games? Why keep trusting the old when the new is burning with hunger? The debate refuses to die.
But beyond Salah and Chiesa, another pain sits in the heart of Liverpool fans — the missing faces of Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Lucas, another fan, asked a question that hit deep: did we fail to give Diaz and Trent the respect they deserved when they were here? Because now that they’re gone, the cracks are showing. The defence looks vulnerable, the attack less sharp, and the team less creative. Without Diaz’s wild runs and Trent’s golden passes, Liverpool feels like a song missing its melody.
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Sami Mokbel didn’t hide from that truth. He said clearly that both Diaz and Alexander-Arnold were crucial to Slot’s plans last season. Trent’s ability to pick a pass from nowhere, to unlock a defence with one swing of his right foot, is something Liverpool haven’t replaced. You can feel it in the way the team struggles to create from wide areas. You can see it in how the right-back position feels empty, no matter who plays there. Trent was not just a defender — he was an artist. And now, he’s gone to Real Madrid, chasing dreams and trophies, but his absence still haunts Anfield like a ghost.
And then there’s Diaz. The fighter. The one who never gave up on a ball, who ran at defenders with fire in his eyes. Liverpool misses his tenacity, his chaos, his unpredictability. When Diaz played, the team had a certain madness, a fearless energy that made them unstoppable. Without him, they look too calm, too predictable, too easy to read. Slot’s Liverpool is more organised, yes, but also less wild — and that wildness once defined them.
Sami’s words cut deep when he said any fan who doesn’t respect what Trent and Diaz gave to this team must be watching a different game. Because their fingerprints are still on every bit of Liverpool’s success. The rhythm, the transitions, the goals — they all carried traces of Trent’s vision and Diaz’s fight. And now, fans are realizing just how big the void really is.
But football doesn’t stop for anyone. Not for Salah, not for Trent, not for Diaz. Every week brings a new match, a new headline, a new argument. Arne Slot finds himself walking a tightrope — between loyalty and evolution, between past glory and future promise. The supporters want results, they want energy, they want that old Liverpool fire back. And in their search for answers, they’ve started turning against each other. Some say trust Salah, others scream for Chiesa. Some want the team rebuilt, others want the old guard restored. Anfield is alive with debate, and every goal or miss fuels it even more.
Inside the dressing room, things are quiet but tense. Salah’s shirt still hangs proudly beside Chiesa’s, the red fabric carrying years of memories. Chiesa watches Salah sometimes, the way he moves, the way he prepares. There’s respect there, deep respect. But there’s also ambition. Chiesa didn’t come to Liverpool to be a backup. He came to fight, to earn his place, to make the fans sing his name too. And that hunger might be what Liverpool needs most right now — hunger mixed with humility, talent mixed with patience.
Arne Slot knows he can’t afford to lose either player. Salah’s leadership and Chiesa’s energy are both vital to the rebuild he’s trying to create. He wants them to co-exist, to learn from each other, to bring balance between old strength and new power. But football rarely gives managers what they want. Every decision comes with risk. Every benching becomes a story. Every goal becomes a headline. And in Liverpool, every emotion becomes a storm.
The fans remember how it felt to watch Trent bomb forward and create magic from nothing. They remember Diaz running through defences like he was born for chaos. They remember Salah destroying opponents with one flick of his left foot. Those memories keep their hope alive, even when the performances fade. That’s what Liverpool has always been about — hope, belief, emotion. It’s not just a club, it’s a heartbeat.
Now, as the season moves on, the question remains: can Arne Slot rebuild Liverpool without losing its soul? Can Salah rediscover his fire before the fans turn completely? Can Chiesa prove he’s not just a spark, but a flame that can burn for years? And can the team learn to live without two of its most creative soldiers — Trent and Diaz? The answers are not simple, but they are coming, one game at a time.
For Salah, the pressure is heavier than ever. He’s no longer just a scorer — he’s a symbol. Every touch he takes is judged. Every chance he misses becomes a debate. But Salah has been here before. He’s been doubted before, criticized before, written off before. And every time, he’s answered the only way he knows how — with goals. Maybe that’s why Arne Slot refuses to bench him. Maybe that’s why Sami Mokbel said dropping Salah is not the answer. Because history tells us, when you count Salah out, he wakes up angry. And when Salah is angry, defenders suffer.
Liverpool’s story has always been one of resilience. From Istanbul to Madrid, from heartbreak to glory, the club thrives on challenges. Maybe this is just another chapter — a rough one, but necessary. Maybe Salah will rise again. Maybe Chiesa will become the next hero. Maybe Diaz and Trent’s legacy will inspire those who remain. What matters is that Liverpool never stops fighting.
For now, the fans will keep arguing, the headlines will keep coming, and the noise will never stop. That’s the price of being Liverpool. A club built on emotion, fed by passion, and carried by legends. Salah’s form may dip, but his spirit remains. Chiesa may wait, but his time is coming. And somewhere in Madrid, Trent will smile watching his old club still fight with the same fire he once helped build. Because no matter where they go, Liverpool never leaves them. Once you wear that red, it stays in your blood forever.
At Anfield, under the lights, the story continues. Salah’s boots still shine. Chiesa’s eyes still burn. The fans still sing. The future may be uncertain, but the heart of Liverpool still beats strong — proud, loud, and unbreakable.
