Arne Slot cut a much more relaxed figure on Friday as he dealt with the press on the back of leading Liverpool to consecutive wins.
The Dutch coach has been under extreme pressure recently, ramped up after Mohamed Salah accused both he and the club of ‘throwing him under the bus.’
Although he was dealing with a live grenade of a story, the consensus is that Slot dealt with Salah‘s comments and their subsequent fallout in impeccable fashion.
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By bringing Salah back into the fold for last week’s win over Brighton, Slot opened the door up to a full return for the Egyptian when it looked like he may be on the way out at Liverpool.
Though Salah is now away from Anfield as he prepares for the Africa Cup of Nations, Slot was predictably asked to revisit the subject during Friday’s pre-Tottenham press conference. And as the Liverpool head coach spoke about his tearaway talisman, it became surprisingly clear where this story is heading next.
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Had Slot continued to freeze Salah out last weekend, the headlines throughout his time away would have written themselves. The focus would have been impossible to shift.
However, Salah coming on – and playing well – against Brighton just took the pressure off matters, and Slot insisted with surprising strength on Friday that everybody has ‘moved on.’
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“I’ve said last week actions speak louder than words. We’ve moved on,” Slot said. “He was in the squad and he was the first substitution I made.
“Now he’s at the AFCON playing big games for himself but also for the country, so I think it’s fair to them – but definitely also for us because we are going to play some very important games – that all the focus for him is over there and there should not be any distraction from me saying anything about his time at Liverpool, because what I said: we’ve moved on after the Leeds interview and he played against Brighton.
“Now he is there, so it’s fair for the country, for him and also for us to talk about Tottenham and other games and for them to be fully focused on their tournament.”
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Just like that, Slot completely closed the subject. Salah may have something different to say while he’s away with his country, of course, but to all intents and purposes, it looks like this storm in a teacup has passed. It would now be a real surprise if Salah were to leave Liverpool in January.
Arne Slot deserves so much credit for Salah handling
Things may not be totally repaired behind the scenes with Salah, and he is surely still seeking assurances over his place in the team.
But whatever happens from here, Slot cannot be accused of mishandling the situation in any way, shape or form.
If Liverpool’s No. 11 still wants to leave, then that is on him. His manager has done everything by the book in order to do the best for his team.
It was not a given that Slot would come out of the other side of Salah’s interview. The 33-year-old’s words did feel like they were designed to put him under more pressure than ever before.
But by quickly diffusing the situation and appealing to Salah, while still refusing to back down publicly, Slot has come away with more credit in the bank and surely even more secure in his job than before. It was a surprise to hear him speak with so much conviction on Salah’s situation, but it now seems more than likely that both will be Liverpool employees come May.
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