Arne Slot must have known he’d be immediately quizzed about Mohamed Salah as he sat down for the final press conference of the season at Liverpool.
The Dutchman has had several days to prepare a response to Salah‘s thinly-veiled attack on him before the Egyptian’s final game for the Reds on Sunday.
This was his chance to issue his own version of events, and in keeping things classy and respectful once again, Slot is the clear winner of a damaging feud which has derailed and defined Liverpool‘s season.
Should Arne Slot drop Mohamed Salah from the squad to face Brentford? 👀
A sour end could be in store…
Slot keeps things classy to win Salah feud
Salah’s Friday-night statement was not as explosive as his decision to make it all about himself after being dropped from the team by Slot in December, but it was still a very clear message that he does not rate the current Liverpool head coach.
It would have been easy for Slot to stoop to Salah’s level and perhaps attempt to land some low-blows of his own, but, instead, the 47-year-old batted back questions on Friday with a fairly straight bat.
“It’s not important what I feel about it, it’s important we qualify for the Champions League and I prepare Mo and the rest of the team,” Slot said.
“I don’t know if it had an impact on the group but the team trained really well this week. I think Mo and I have the same interest. We want the club to be as successful as possible. We were both part of giving the fans the first title in 5 years.”
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Pushed to comment on Salah’s assertion that he – and Liverpool – should be playing a different style of football, Slot did hit back by saying that the 33-year-old seemingly had no problem with his tactics last season, but still upheld the line that Salah simply wants what he does, which is to see the Reds be successful.
“You say he wants to play that [heavy metal] style and you say it is not mine. It led to us winning the league last year, my style, which Mo was happy to play. We both want what is best for Liverpool Football Club,” Slot said.
Slot deserves better from Salah
Although plenty of Liverpool supporters agreed with much of what Salah said in his statement, it was clear that this was not what the Reds needed before their final game of the campaign.
The outgoing legend clearly has a personal problem with Slot, likely stemming from his decision to drop him while under performing last winter, but that has made much of his rhetoric feel bitter and agenda-driven.
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While Slot clearly has his own agenda too, the head coach has come across much more magnanimous in his responses.
There was one, barbed comment in April, when the former Feyenoord boss suggested that Salah’s standards had been maintained in the gym but not on the pitch, but other than that he has remained professional, level-headed and respectful of Salah’s status as a club legend.
It has obviously been an incredibly difficult season for Slot, for many reasons. But amid the wreckage of a dismal Premier League title defence, he deserved better than having his biggest-name player continually attempt to undermine his authority.
Many will not want to see it happen, but maybe Slot does deserve to be given the chance to manage without the shadow of Salah hanging over him. He has taken on one of the most iconic players in the club’s history, through no real fault of his own, and has come out the other side better for it.
This will not be the last we hear from Salah on the matter, and Slot will likely know a storm is coming once the Egypt captain leaves the club. But as far as he is concerned, he can be proud of how he has handled such a delicate situation. People will see it differently, of course, but – for us – Slot is the clear winner of a feud which we can’t wait to see the back of.
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