Liverpool head coach Arne Slott said he was “surprised” by Mohamed Salah’s statement that their relationship had broken down, casting doubt on whether he would ever play for the club again.
Slott said the only communication he had with Salah since Saturday’s bombshell interview was that he told him he would not be traveling to Italy for Tuesday’s Champions League game against Inter.
When asked how the conversation went, he replied, “It was short.”
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Mohamed Salah has given a fiery interview about his current situation at Liverpool and how his relationship with manager Arne Slott has deteriorated. Instagram credit: @viaplaypremierssunday.
Slott has kept Salah on the bench for Liverpool’s last three games but said he did not believe his relationship with the Egyptian had broken down and had seen no signs of it until Salah’s interview. “I was surprised to hear that he made these comments,” Slott said at a news conference Monday.
Slott was asked if Salah could return to contention for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Brighton at Anfield, and the Dutchman said that would be decided after Tuesday night’s game against Inter.
“I’m a strong believer that there’s always a chance for a player to come back,” Slott said.
But when asked whether Salah played his last game for Liverpool, Slott said: “I have no idea and I can’t answer that question at this point.”
Slott also pointed out that it was unclear what or who Salah was referring to in some of his comments. But he added: “I’m calm and polite but that doesn’t mean I’m weak. It’s up to us as a club to respond and you know he’s not here.”
Full text: Everything Slott said about Salah and Liverpool’s future
Arne Slott gives Mo Salah a bombshell interview and admits he has ‘no idea’ whether the forward will play for Liverpool again
Was Salah referring to Slott in his comment that he was “thrown under the bus”?
Slott: “Only Mo himself can answer that. I can make a guess, but it’s not the right thing to do at this point. It’s hard for me to tell.”
Did Slott speak to Salah?
Slott: “We told him we weren’t traveling and that was our only communication to him.
“By Saturday, we both talked a lot, sometimes long and sometimes short.”
Has their relationship broken down?
Slott: “That’s not how I feel, but he has a right to feel how things feel. I didn’t feel that way at all until Saturday evening.
“When I stopped playing with him, usually players don’t like the coach at the time that much, but he had a lot of respect for my staff members and teammates. He practiced really hard. I was surprised to some extent when I heard him make the comment.”
“I’m not the first or last person to say something like what I did when a player doesn’t play. My reaction to that is clear: he’s not here.”
Will he be considered for selection against Brighton?
Slott: “We’re sitting here on the eve of a big game and it’s only been 36 hours since the moment we lost 3-3 to Leeds.
“We’ve been trying to get the team the best preparation for (Tuesday) night’s game. The main thing we’re thinking about is (Tuesday). Once (Tuesday) is over, we’ll take another look at the situation.”
Is there a way back to Salah?
Slott: “I’m a big believer that there’s always a chance for a player to come back. You can leave it alone.”
How was your conversation with him?
Slot: “A short one.”
Why is Salah on the bench?
Slott: “We as a team struggled this season and already last season with the game plans that other teams had against us. I’m not just talking about the long ball style. We’ve been trying to come up with solutions. That’s my job. We’ve tried a lot of things.
“We looked very vulnerable against (Nottingham) Forest and PSV. Against West Ham, where we won the game, we decided to play with an extra midfielder, so we did the same against Sunderland. We brought him on at half-time.”
“We played in a 5-3-2 against Leeds, but we decided to play a 4-4-2 diamond with Hugo Ekitike a little out on the right and Kodi Gakpo on the left, with Florian Wirtz in between. “We could have played Mo on the right instead of Hugo, but I decided to play with Hugo.”
Did he play his last game for Liverpool?
Slott: “I have no idea. I can’t answer that question at this time.”
Has your authority been compromised? Disappointed?
Slott: “I don’t feel like my authority is being compromised;
“Whether my life is difficult or not is not a question for me. Yes or no. In a situation like this it doesn’t really matter. It’s whether it’s more difficult for the team or the club.”
“Nobody wanted us to be in the situation we are in now. It’s hard to see the staff who work so hard every day being affected by this situation. Mainly because of the result, but also because of what this has led to. It’s not good for us as a team. My thoughts are mainly directed towards that.
“My focus is completely on the team and not on myself.”
When Mo said he felt like he was thrown under the bus, do you understand why he would say something like that?
Slott: “Then we need to know what exactly he means, and for me it’s hard to know what exactly he means, why he’s saying this, and who he’s referring to.”
Have you never had a conversation like that?
Slott: “No. Usually I’m calm and polite, but that doesn’t mean I’m weak. When a player makes comments like this about a lot of things, that’s how you should react as a club, and we reacted in a certain way. As you can see, he’s not here.”
Could I have done something differently to avoid this?
Slott: “Then we have to find out why he said that. We have to speculate a little bit. Isn’t it just that he’s not playing? Does that mean I’m not playing with him? What else can I do? Play with him. Maybe that’s not why he thinks and feels this way.
“He has a right to feel what he feels, but he doesn’t have a right to share it with the media. He has that right, but it’s up to us how we react to it.”
When was the last time you spoke to Salah? Were you on speaking terms?
Slott: “Yes, but we didn’t always see eye to eye. I spoke to him twice, once two days before the Leeds game and again in the week before.”
Have you spoken to him since Leeds?
Slott: “No, I’ve already said that a few times. He was at the training ground (on Monday) and I told him I wasn’t going to travel. It’s not about talking to anyone. That’s true, but it’s not about having a conversation in the room. We did it twice against Leeds, the first time a little longer and the first time a little shorter. But I won’t go into details.
“I told him it wasn’t a trip.”
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Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has responded to Mohamed Salah’s words at the weekend.
Carla’s verdict: Outburst is ‘disgraceful’
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Jamie Carragher has given his thoughts on Mohamed Salah’s outburst after being re-substituted for the draw with Liverpool against Leeds.
Jamie Carragher has labeled Salah a “disgrace” in a bombshell interview, but hopes he doesn’t play his final game for Liverpool.
“I thought his behavior after the game was disgraceful,” Carragher said on Monday Night Football.
“Some people have painted this as an emotional outburst, but I don’t think that’s the case.
“Every time Mo Salah stops in a mixed zone, which he has done four times in eight years at Liverpool, it is choreographed by him and his agents to do maximum damage and strengthen his own position.”
On Salah’s future, Carragher added: “I don’t know if he’ll play for Liverpool again. I hope he does, because he’s one of our greatest ever players. But if you keep going and say things like that if he doesn’t play, who knows?”
Salah and Slott face off in a Ronaldo-style power play
Analysis by Ginny Boswell of Sky Sports:
“Mohamed Salah has made his decision for Liverpool after making it clear that he no longer has a relationship with Arne Slott. It’s difficult to see the way forward for both star player and head coach at the moment. Whatever happens next, it will have huge implications for Liverpool.”
“Salah has chosen to speak out to send a message about his future in a season that has been largely silent, at a time when Slott is faltering after failing to get the seven points Jamie Carragher said he needed to save his job against West Ham, Sunderland and Leeds.
“Importantly, Slott was the only one of Salah’s colleagues to be named. Whether intentionally or not, he played a game of ‘me versus him’, although Salah may argue that he did so by forcing Slott to watch from the bench as Liverpool twice took the lead at Elland Road.”
“The indisputable takeaway from Salah’s bombshell interview is that he just wants to play football again. It’s unclear whether that will happen at Liverpool. Next Saturday’s game against Brighton, the last game before going to AFCON, could potentially be his farewell to Anfield.”
“It’s hard to see the world he plays in this week after this.”
