Mohamed Salah’s spiky leaving of Liverpool puts Slot in awkward spot

W e 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.

Key points

• 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…
• 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.