We can safely say how Arne Slot would like to respond to Mohamed Salah’s latest attempt to undermine him. The Champions League trip to Inter in December, when Salah was left at home as punishment for his incendiary interview at Leeds three days earlier, provides as clear an indication as any. But should a repeat offence result in a repeat sanction on Sunday? Liverpool and their besieged head coach could do without inflaming a potential mutiny at Anfield.
Salah decided to draw up battle lines before his departure, with Saturday’s social media post criticising Liverpool’s direction under Slot. His concerns are widely shared by the Liverpool fanbase and the Liverpool squad, it seems, given the support it received from Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai, Andy Robertson and several members of last summer’s underwhelming recruitment drive. Arrive at great expense, fail to deliver and fuel the sense that a toxic civil war is erupting behind the scenes: thanks for your efforts lads. It is impossible to say what prompted each individual like but that is the impression the collective has given.
It is no surprise that the general reaction externally has been to side with a hugely popular player over an unpopular head coach. To adopt Salah’s description of his own team, Slot’s stock has crumbled during a campaign that has featured 19 defeats (all coming in the past 48 matches) and the most goals Liverpool have conceded in a 38-game Premier League season: 52. The ease with which Aston Villa sliced through Liverpool during Friday’s 4-2 win at Villa Park underlined the structural flaws Slot has been unable to remedy all season, whether dealing with an extensive injury list or not.
But putting personal grievances aside and Liverpool’s interests first, as Salah claimed to be doing while taking another parting shot at Slot, hard-headed sporting and business reasons dictate that the Egypt international should be involved against Brentford on the final day. Liverpool’s stumble towards the finishing line means that, as things stand, it is not a matter of giving a club legend the send-off he deserves. The priority is securing the Champions League qualification that is essential to the club’s business model, recruitment plans and possibly Slot’s future.
To claim a top-five finish Liverpool will need to beat a Brentford team pursing European ambitions of their own should Bournemouth defeat Manchester City on Tuesday. With Liverpool having failed to win any of the nine league games that Salah has not started in 2026, omitting the striker for disciplinary reasons would be too great a risk for Slot. There will not be any jeopardy involved should City spoil Andoni Iraola’s farewell to the Vitality Stadium by winning. Liverpool’s place in next season’s Champions League would be confirmed thanks to help from elsewhere. To then omit Salah for disciplinary reasons would give fresh ammunition to Slot’s army of critics. Anfield turned on his style of play during the last home game against Chelsea. If the stakes are lowered on Sunday and the afternoon is all about celebrating Salah’s and Robertson’s outstanding Liverpool careers, why poison the mood to demonstrate some authority over a player who is leaving anyway? Slot may have to grin and bear it. He has become accustomed to that this season.
Whatever unfolds in the final week of a campaign of unprecedented challenges for Liverpool, Salah has succeeded in making life as awkward as possible for Slot with his third public criticism in six months. His concerns may be legitimate, his desire for Liverpool to triumph heartfelt, but to leave for a lucrative contract elsewhere while trying to undermine another person’s hold on their job is a distasteful way to go. Liverpool did Salah a favour by agreeing to let him leave on a free transfer this summer despite being under contract for another 12 months. Slot was involved in that decision.
Salah did not once mention Slot in his social media post but made several references to Jürgen Klopp – another manager he fell-out with when dropped from the starting lineup – when stating that he had “witnessed this club go from doubters to believers, and from believers to champions” and by writing: “I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear and back to being a team that wins trophies. That is the football I know how to play and that is the identity that needs to be recovered and kept for good. It cannot be negotiable and everyone that joins this club should adapt to it.”
Firstl, Liverpool are not synonymous with heavy metal football. Attacking, winning football, yes. But heavy metal football? That identity belongs to Klopp and Klopp alone. On this season’s evidence, the 33-year-old Salah would have struggled to keep up with the demands of his former manager. Second, no player, regardless of their brilliance, influence, longevity or popularity, gets to dictate how a club should play. That responsibility currently rests with Slot, whose duties also included telling a great player that the clock is ticking.