Liverpool manager Arne Slot has faced scrutiny this season as the reigning champions find themselves battling for Champions League qualification. The Reds travel to Old Trafford this weekend to face bitter rivals Manchester United, with a potential top-four finish within reach. However, they will be without talisman Mohamed Salah, who has been ruled out of the clash but is expected to return before the end of the campaign. The Egyptian forward is one of several injured players in Slot’s squad ahead of the showdown with United.
Arne Slot addresses critics
Slot has responded to a question about the backlash he has received for the team’s performances this season. The Dutch coach delivered a Premier League title in his first year at Anfield but has seen his side fall below those standards this term, leading him to be asked whether he believes the criticism has been fair.
“I think it is for you guys to judge if I have been too harshly judged by many people,” Slot said in his pre-match press conference. “That’s not up to me. I judge my players, if they play well, if they are working hard and executing tactics. I’m not in this job to judge whether I’m criticised too harshly. That’s not the way I spend my time on a daily basis.”
The team are set to finish the season without silverware. However, Slot will look to continue his side’s recent momentum after winning their last three league games. A positive result against United could secure a Champions League place and ease some of the pressure on the 47-year-old, who is likely to continue in the Liverpool dugout next season.
Wayne Rooney’s harsh verdict
Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney has made his thoughts clear about Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Salah ahead of the weekend’s game. Rooney, who argued with the defender earlier this season, claimed that Van Dijk is no longer at his best and that Salah has also shown signs of decline.
“I said this since the start of the season, age gets to us all and your legs go,” Rooney said on The Wayne Rooney Show. “I think that’s happened to Salah this season and Virgil van Dijk hasn’t been the same this season. They are the leaders in the dressing room. It’s hard for the other players to go and leave their mark or become the leaders. I don’t think he [Van Dijk] will [leave] but you’ve seen players when they’ve stayed there for too long.”
Slot, meanwhile, remains focused on the task at hand, brushing off the criticism and Rooney’s comments as he prepares his side for the crucial encounter at Old Trafford.
