Liverpool
Slot defends Salah and demands defensive improvement after stoppage-time loss
Slot defended Mohamed Salah after criticism, called for better protection against crosses into box..
Arne Slot pushed back on criticism of Mohamed Salah while acknowledging Liverpool must improve their defensive work on crosses.
Slot pointed to the sequence that decided the match, when Cucurella burst into the box to provide the low cross for Estêvão’s stoppage-time winner. He highlighted that Salah’s willingness to let Cucurella run off him was compounded by the forward’s profligacy at Stamford Bridge, where Salah “spurned several clear chances to fire the visitors in front after drawing level in the second half.” Slot argued the opportunities Salah had emerged because of the forward’s limited defensive duties.
“I saw Cucurella’s comments on Salah but I show you five or six moments where Mo could have made the difference, so that would be a different conversation,” the Liverpool boss snapped at Friday’s press conference. “Always the balance between winger and fullback that is quite… I want ours to attack as well. We have to find the right balance.”
At the same time Slot accepted a clear problem: “We concede too many crosses, I am aware of that and we have to do better.” Opponents are averaging 2.3 open-play crosses into Liverpool’s penalty area each game this season, up from 1.3 last season. That rise in deliveries into the box has coincided with a tendency to concede goals at the back post; only three Premier League teams have shipped more goals from that specific scenario than Liverpool this season, per The Athletic.
Slot also addressed the club’s run of three straight defeats, which he called the longest losing streak of his managerial career. He asked for context while accepting responsibility. “We have lost three [games] by very close margins,” he argued. “Twice in last minute, one was penalty, we should have overturned it on VAR. We should not depend on the margins, Chelsea away is normal it is an equal game, part of it, but results don’t lie. If you lose three in a row you have to do better.
“These players don’t wake up at night with it but we have to be aware of it and give a reaction. We have to create habits if we win or lose but after three losses you hope for a spark or 1% or 2% more from us and our fans on Sunday.”
Brighton & Hove Albion
Salah Added to Liverpool Squad After ‘Positive’ Talks With Arne Slot
Salah recalled to Liverpool squad after “positive” talks with Arne Slot; start for Saturday unclear.
Mohamed Salah has been recalled to Liverpool’s squad for Saturday’s trip to Brighton & Hove Albion after what have been described by several outlets as “positive” discussions with manager Arne Slot.
The situation had produced intense speculation following Salah’s claim that he no longer had a working relationship with Slot. Slot told his Friday news conference that he would discuss the evolving situation with Salah in person, with the two thrashing out whether he’d be included in Liverpool’s squad for the visit of Brighton.
Reports say the pair held constructive talks and the decision was taken to include the forward in the group for the fixture. If he does play on Saturday, it could be his final appearance in a Liverpool shirt for up to six weeks. The 33-year-old will join up with Egypt on Monday, Dec. 15, potentially missing seven games if the Pharaohs make the AFCON final.
Inclusion in the matchday squad, however, does not guarantee a start. Slot made a tactical change in midweek, opting against a traditional winger against Inter and experimenting with different attacking combinations. The reigning PFA Player of the Year was overlooked by his manager against West Ham United, Sunderland and Leeds, a sequence that contributed to last weekend’s public outburst.
Against Inter the former Feyenoord boss started Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitiké up top for just the second time this season. The pairing produced limited chemistry but did yield a positive result, and Slot may again weigh form when selecting his XI. Given Isak’s poor form, Slot could keep the Swede on the bench at the weekend and allow Ekitiké to lead the line, opening the door for Salah to return on the right.
Rewarding the Liverpool legend with a start after his recent antics might not be an outcome Slot desires. All eyes will be on the 47-year-old when he drops his XI on Saturday afternoon.
Liverpool
Slot: Conversation with Mohamed Salah Will Decide Brighton Involvement
Slot will meet Mohamed Salah before Liverpool decide whether he will be involved against Brighton. .
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confirmed he does not want Mohamed Salah to leave the club but has not yet decided whether the forward will be involved against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. Slot said a conversation planned for the morning would determine the immediate outcome.
“I will have a conversation with Mo this morning and the outcome determines how things will look tomorrow.
“What I need is a conversation with him and the next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here. There’s not much more to say about it. I will speak to him today and the outcome of that conversation determines how things will look tomorrow.”
Brighton visit is Liverpool’s final match before Salah departs for the Africa Cup of Nations, which runs into the January transfer window. With winter speculation that Salah could leave the club, it is possible he may have already played his final game for Liverpool if he is not reinstated to Slot’s squad for Saturday.
Slot said there had been extensive discussions behind the scenes and pushed back on suggestions that defensive demands lay at the heart of the issue. “I just said the next time I speak about him should be with him,” the Reds boss continued. “I think there’s been a lot of conversations between his representatives and ours, our representatives and him, between him and me after the Sunderland game.”
On the decision to omit Salah from the Inter Milan trip, Slot underlined that the club’s hierarchy were involved but left matchday selections to him. “I think we decided as a club, and I was part of that decision, not to take him to the Inter Milan game,” he continued. “I am always in contact with them, but when it comes to the decision-making of the lineup or the squad, they always leave that open to me, but that’s not to say I don’t talk to them. Mainly Richard [Hughes, sporting director], by the way, not Michael [Edwards, chief executive].
“I talk to him about so many things, but the decision to play a player or to have him in the squad, as I’ve experienced it to now—and I think this will never change—is entirely up to me.”
Slot laughed at repeated probing over the situation but made clear he wants Salah to remain. “The next time I talk about Mo should be with him,” he insisted. “I have no reasons not to want him to stay, if that’s a bit of an answer.”
“This club has won a lot, a lot, a lot of games with him, so that’s an answer to your question I think,” Slot concluded.
Liverpool
Liverpool’s Dilemma Over Salah: Contract, Bench Role and Limited Exit Options
Liverpool want to keep Salah despite his claim they threw him “under the bus” leaving future unclear
Mohamed Salah’s recent public complaint that the Reds have been “under the bus” has forced a swift reassessment of his standing at Liverpool. The club are reported to still want to keep the forward, but the situation has accelerated into something described internally as bewildering.
Salah rarely addresses the media, yet similar pressure was applied last season during talks that eventually produced a two-year deal thought to be worth more than £41 million ($54.8 million). His current contract has around 18 months to run and the club viewed his absence from the starting lineup as temporary.
The Athletic has reported that the perception among other clubs and agents, including some with “direct knowledge” of Liverpool, is that Salah either wants to force a transfer or is applying pressure on Slot, who is already feeling scrutiny because of poor results this season. There is an acknowledgement inside Liverpool that a continued hardline stance from Salah could render his place at the club untenable if no resolution is reached.
For now the ball is said to be in Salah’s court, though his immediate focus may turn to international duty as he prepares to join Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations. Jamie Carragher has pointed out that Salah is searching for his first international title.
Reports suggest Salah’s outside options are limited. Saudi clubs were keen before he committed his future to Liverpool in April, and Al Hilal or Al Ittihad are presented as more plausible Saudi destinations than Al Nassr. Al Hilal could offer a reunion with Darwin Núñez. “Mohamed Salah is welcome in the Saudi League, but it is the clubs that are responsible for negotiating with players. For sure Salah is [a target],” SPL chief executive Omar Mugharbel confirmed this week.
Major League Soccer interest has been reported, though any move there would require an available Designated Player slot. Inter Miami are thought to have plans for theirs, while Chicago Fire and San Diego FC have been mentioned as more feasible destinations. Leaving Europe would mean departing the highest competitive level of club football, a significant consideration for a 33-year-old player still in good physical condition.
