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Just months after lifting the title at a sun-drenched Anfield, Liverpool is in full blown crisis mode as we head for the final month of 2025.
Talk of Arne Slot losing his job seems premature, and quite frankly ridiculous, at this stage but there is no doubt that something has to change to arrest the slide, starting against PSV in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Slot will earn every bit of his $8.3M/£6.6M in the coming weeks with big calls needing to be made on set-up, systems and personnel. And for Wayne Rooney, those decisions should start with Liverpool's talisman, whose goals ultimately secured the title just months ago.
"If I was Slot, I'd try and make a big decision just so it has an impact on the rest of the team," said Rooney in his latest podcast episode. "Mo Salah is not helping them defensively.
"If you're one of the players who they've signed and you're on the bench and you've seen him not running - and, again, he's a club legend and everything he's done for the club - but if you're on the bench, then what message does that send to you?"
It is of course not the first time that Rooney has called out the Egyptian. His comments on Salah and Virgil van Dijk drew an angry response from the Liverpool captain earlier this month, with Rooney later conceding he may have gone over the top. This time though, the ex-Manchester United and Everton man has a point.
Salah's decline in numbers is there for all to see. He has scored just five goals in 17 games in all competitions and had 10 at this stage last term. Few expected him to replicate last season's stats, despite his bumper new deal, but his performance levels have also dropped significantly.
And now there is a real question mark over what he is actually bringing to this Liverpool team.
Frailties in defense have been brutally exposed in the first months of the season, particularly at full back where the likes of Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong and Dominik Szoboszlai have not been provided with sufficient cover from Salah.
The Egyptian indicated at the end of last season that there was an agreement in place with Slot for him to forgo his defensive responsibilities. And it worked.
But in the current predicament, Liverpool simply cannot afford to carry him as a passenger any longer. Rooney's comments come as Gary Neville urged Slot to change his system to improve Liverpool's fortunes.
He proposed the idea that the Reds boss could shore things up by bringing Joe Gomez and Andy Robertson into a more solid defense, while also introducing a 'narrow four' into midfield, with Szoboszlai tucking in on the right instead of Liverpool's No.11.
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The Sky Sports pundit did indicate Salah could play in one of the two striking positions but he is simply not deserving of a place in Liverpool's best XI at present.
Given the huge outlay on Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, maybe now is the time for Liverpool fans to see them play together. That just cannot happen if Salah is still being picked.
The Reds turned in their best display of the season against Eintracht Frankfurt when Salah dropped to the bench and it wouldn't be the most contentious call if he missed out against PSV too, given the hectic schedule that awaits in December.
But Slot must now take a stand and heed Rooney's advice when it comes to the Premier League too, starting with the weekend trip to West Ham.
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