Mohamed Salah’s comments have left Arne Slot in a very tricky predicament.
If things were not bad enough for the Reds right now, Salah has only added fuel to the fire and made life a whole lot harder.
Publicly calling out his manager was never a good idea, especially as he has not exactly helped the team out much this season when on the pitch, so he does not really have a leg to stand on.
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What happens next is not yet known, although you would imagine that there will be some pretty severe consequences, especially if he does not apologise.
Even then, that might not be enough, and former Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has told Slot exactly how he must deal with the situation.
Arne Slot urged to punish Mohamed Salah
Liverpool have never been a club with big egos, and they will not let that happen now, even if Salah has more credit in the bank than most to pull a stunt like this off.
However, whether he was angry or not, this was certainly not the right move to make, with the Egyptian letting his teammates and also himself down.
Actions do not come without consequences either, and Pardew believes that Slot must go hard on his punishment to show the dressing room who is in charge.
“I think now they need to discipline him and bring him back in line,” he said on talkSPORT.
“They need to say ‘look, you’re a Liverpool player, we’ve given you this bumper new contract, you’ve got to start playing the game with us. Sit on the bench, wait for your chance, and when that comes, you’ve got to be ready to play.’
“So if I was the manager, I would get him in Monday morning, lay down the law to him and discipline him at the same time.”
Salah was seen at the AXA training centre on Sunday, suggesting he has had a talking to, although training on Monday will certainly be interesting as an outcome has not yet been reached.
Arne Slot decision could decide his Liverpool future
A manager must command respect and authority, but after Salah’s actions, Slot has been undermined, with the fact it was so public being rather embarrassing too.
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Now, he has the chance to set things straight, with his reaction a telling sign as to whether he is cut out to take Liverpool forward.
A harsh punishment, such as leaving him out of their Champions League squad to face Inter Milan, would certainly be a statement, but it is something that might have to happen.
In all honesty, there is a strong chance that Salah has already played his last ever game for the club, something that would be a sad moment of realisation if true.
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