Premier League news: Mohamed Salah vs Arne Slot – Do Liverpool need both to succeed?
It was a must-win midweek game for Arne Slot and Liverpool in the Champions League against Inter Milan as they continue to navigate an ongoing disagreement with Mohamed Salah.
The Reds now look ahead to their clash with Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, which is likely to see Salah remain out of the first-team picture.
But do Slot and Salah need to come together or should Liverpool move on from the Egyptian?
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Mosaddek Abu reflects on growing tensions between player and club.
Salah lashes out at Reds
Liverpool’s star forward came out and publicly voiced his frustration after being left on the bench by Slot for three straight games.
Salah is understandably frustrated, but he didn’t need to let it play out in front of the media and put the club in a bad position.
We’ve seen plenty of footballers do similar things in the past, and it has rarely had a happy ending.
Moreover, Salah hasn’t looked his best this season – he hasn’t been tearing teams apart as a constant goal threat like he was in the first half of their title-winning 2024/25 campaign.
In the 13 matches he’s played in the Premier League this term, he’s only been on the scoresheet at four times and registered two assists.
And it’s well known that if you aren’t in form, you are bound to be dropped from the first XI.
If Salah is not in the squad against Brighton and Liverpool achieve another good result, following up their win over Inter in the Champions League, then Slot could very well continue to leave the Egyptian on the bench.
Plus, Salah goes off to AFCON after this weekend’s fixtures, so if the Reds pick up a few points and get a bit of momentum going, it could be the case that Salah does not play for a while.
Egyptian right to be frustrated
However, Salah is right to feel frustrated if he feels that Slot hasn’t made an effort to build a relationship with him.
After all, should that be the case, then how can Salah work with Slot and is he meant to fight for his spot in the starting team?
Salah, it must be said, is going to go down as one of Liverpool’s greatest-ever players, having won multiple trophies with the club since joining in 2017.
He was also one of the most significant factors in the Reds’ second Premier League title, scoring 34 goals in 50 games across all competitions last season.
As a result, Salah has the right to vie for his spot – but if he hears his manager making him a scapegoat for some of the team’s poor results, the Egyptian will understandably feel like he’s being single-handedly picked out for everyone’s faults.
However, Alexander Isak – who signed from Newcastle United for a British record fee of £125 million – has only provided one goal all season.
Florian Wirtz is likewise yet to adapt to the league since his £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen.
And dare we mention Cody Gakpo, who barely looks like a threat and is an easy target for teams to win possession from.
Salah’s argument is thus valid, because if Slot still has enough faith in those players to start them, then why shouldn’t he have the same for Salah?
Liverpool need Slot and Salah
At the end of the day, Slot needs results and Salah’s numbers have declined, with his dribble success rate at just 23%.
Can he be trusted to go after players and continue to be dangerous down the flanks like he did when he first arrived?
Liverpool have also picked up results in the absence of the Egyptian, with two wins and two draws – the more defensive approach has clearly worked out.
Salah will always be held in high esteem and his frustration is normal, but he needed to address that with the manager away from the media spotlight.
Recent results show that Liverpool is doing okay without him, and that there is no easy fit for him to get back in right now.
But that is not to say they should sell him in January as he can still prove a valuable asset coming off the bench.
It may just be a situation where Liverpool opens discussions with Salah in the summer.
In the short term, they need to get Slot and Salah on the same page as they can still turn this season around.
Plus, that would give Salah the proper send-off in front of the fans, who would hate to see him leave on bad terms.
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