Tensions between Arne Slot and Mohamed Salah boiled over on Saturday. Salah has been benched for three straight matches, and the Egyptian gave a hostile post-match interview after Liverpool’s 3-3 draw at Leeds.
The club legend stated that he felt the club had “thrown me under the bus” and that his relationship with Slot had “broken down.”
In response, Liverpool have today announced that they will exclude him from the squad travelling to face Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Slot publicly reacted by saying he was “surprised” by Salah’s comments, stating that he does not feel his authority has been undermined and that while a return for Salah remains possible, he currently has “no clue” whether Salah has played his last game at Anfield.
Salah’s side
From Salah’s perspective, there are a few main points that stand out.
He Feels as if he is being scapegoated. Salah claims that despite his long service and contributions, he is being made a symbol of Liverpool’s struggles. As he put it, he’s been “thrown under the bus.”
Another aspect of the interview was the apparent lack of clarity from his manager. After consistently starting for years, the sudden shift to the bench, three games in a row, has left him confused, especially with no clear explanation about why.
This isn’t the first time Mo has had a public outburst. Just last season he came out and spoke against the club after there seemed to be no progress in his contract talks.
Now, according to him, the lack of communication made him feel alienated, which in his mind justified going public once again.
There is also a few murmurs that there may be a few players that support Salah and his decision to speak out, whether this is true or not remains to be seen but could be a huge development and a cause for further challenges for Slot and the whole LFC hierarchy.
Looking at what some supporters think, a few have echoed these points.
“This is such an exceptionally sad, depressing turn in Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool story … feeling like the club have thrown him under the bus … this is damaging.”
Others emphasise that if not addressed properly, this could be a painful ending to what has been a decorated career at the club.
Slot / Club side
From Slot and Liverpool’s perspective, there are also several counter arguments justifying their response.
The club and management need to maintain authority and discipline. Slot argues that, while he respects Salah’s history and contribution, a public outburst of this nature challenges the hierarchy and could damage dressing room harmony.
In his press conference he said he didn’t feel undermined, but thought the club had to respond after such public comments.
Let’s be frank for a minute, Salah has been a shadow of his former self this season, this wasn’t a personal attack but a performance-based decision.
For a manager trying to turn around his team’s poor run of form, sticking with results (or attempting to) may require hard choices.
Slot has already started the process of protecting the team’s stability. The decision to leave Salah out for the Inter match has been described as a “short-term” measure to manage tensions and avoid distractions before a crucial game. The Club’s leadership group, reportedly, backs Slot.
Can the club afford to take sides?
This is the crucial decision for the club, backing either party carries risks, but so does ignoring the issue.
Backing Salah would show support for a club legend, maintain goodwill with fans who love him and probably avoid a prolonged public spat that damages the club’s image.
It could also undermine the authority of the manager, potentially make other players expect similar exemptions and risks internal instability if results continue to suffer.
Backing Slot, which seems to currently be the club’s stance, emphasizes discipline, collective responsibility and could help restore performance if the change in selection proves effective.
However, it risks alienating Salah and as mentioned before, possibly other senior players, creating long-term damage to relationships, and generating uproar among fans still emotionally invested in the star’s legacy and commitment.
Realistically the club might try a middle path, publicly backing Slot’s authority, while keeping the door open to reconciliation, that seems to be what Slot said when he refused to rule out a return for Salah.