Liverpool manager Arne Slot has publicly responded to Mohamed Salah's bombshell social media statement, in which the forward criticised the team's style of play. Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the final Premier League game of the season against Brentford, Slot addressed the matter without confirming whether Salah would feature.
Slot's Response to Salah's Comments
Slot stated: "I don't think it is important what I feel; what is important is that we qualify for the Champions League. So I prepare Mo and the rest of the team to be ready. I was disappointed after Villa; a win would have given us qualification. Now there is one game to go, and it is vital."
He added: "If it had an impact on the group... the team trained well this week, and we continue that so we're prepared. Mo and I have the same interests; we want the club to be successful. We were both part of giving the fans the title last year, and we haven't brought that same level this year. What we all want is to be the same success as last season. Sunday's game gives us a good base for next Sunday."
Salah's Playing Status
When asked whether Salah would play against Brentford, Slot refused to give a definitive answer: "I never say anything about team selection, so I won't do that now. A lot of ifs, but we know what we need Sunday. I think we would like to give our fans a nice way to end the season, because too many disappointments for us, the club, the fans, staff, and players. We want to end with a win. Brentford play for something important as well. We want to be in the best possible place."
Salah's Social Media Statement
Following Liverpool's 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa, Salah took to social media with a scathing assessment. He wrote: "I have witnessed this club go from doubters to believers, and from believers to champions. It took hard work, and I always did everything I could to help the club get there. Nothing makes me prouder than that. Us crumbling to yet another defeat this season was very painful and not what our fans deserve. 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. Winning some games here and there is not what Liverpool should be about. All teams win games. Liverpool will always be a club that means a great deal to me and to my family. I want to see it succeed for long after I have moved on. As I've always said, qualifying to next season's Champions League is the bare minimum, and I will do everything I can to make that happen."
Salah is expected to leave Anfield this summer, making Sunday's match potentially his final appearance for the club.
