"Why is he on the bench", "Gives more to this team" - Liverpool fans unhappy as Reds star left on the bench for Nottingham Forest clash

Liverpool fans are furious with manager Arne Slot's decision to bench Hugo Ekitike for their Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest. Many believe that the Frenchman should have started ahead of Alexander Isak.

Alisson returns in goal for Liverpool after his spell on the sidelines. Dominik Szoboszlai moves to the right-back position, with Milos Kerkez playing on the left. Virgil van Dijk captains the side and has Ibrahima Konate partnering him in the middle of the defence.

Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, and Curtis Jones are operating in the midfield for Slot's side. Mohamed Salah keeps his place on the right wing with Cody Gakpo on the left side. The fans are delighted with the starting XI, except for the striker role, where the manager has picked Isak ahead of Ekitike.

Many have questioned his decision to start the Swedish star and posted:

Talking about Nottingham Forest ahead of the game, Slot said:

"True, two changes [to the manager]. Not one manager is the same as another one but the playing style of Nuno [Espirito Santo] comes closer to the one of Sean Dyche, than it comes closer to the one of Ange Postecoglou maybe. Again, not similar but closer. So, I think it's probably going to be a similar type of game than it was the last time we faced them now, with Sean Dyche taking over from Ange Postecoglou."

Alexander Isak is yet to score in the Premier League since his Premier League record move from Newcastle United. The Reds paid £125 million to sign the striker on deadline day.

Hugo Ekitike sends message to Liverpool players

Liverpool star Hugo Ekitike has admitted that Liverpool are set for a tough period on the pitch, but has backed them to gain the momentum. He believes that they can do well by sticking together and said:

“I think it’s going to be a tough period with a lot of games – not easy games. The games before the internationals were obviously difficult, too. We are going to need to stick together and really support each other because it is going to be a busy period with a lot of matches. But I am confident. I think we can do something; we have a lot of games to come back to, but it is a good place for us to be there." "Football is about momentum. We started this season by winning all of our games at the end of the game, last-minute goals. Then we started to lose games, but I think we can change that. We can switch to victories again. It is just [about] momentum. I believe we can improve and get better.”

Ekitike joined Liverpool in the summer and has scored six times in all competitions.

Edited by Sripad