Manager admits Liverpool’s “brand of football” must improve next season
Arne Slot has defused suggestions of a rift with Mohamed Salah after the Liverpool forward sparked a near mutiny with questions about the team’s style of play under the German.
Salah, who is leaving Liverpool this summer after nine years at Anfield, posted on social media last weekend calling for a return to the “heavy metal football” associated with Jurgen Klopp.
The message was liked by several first-team players and even other big names who have left, such as Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz. It intensified the scrutiny over Slot’s methods in a season where Liverpool have fallen well short of last year’s title-winning standards.
Liverpool go into Sunday’s final Premier League game against Brentford needing at least a draw to secure Champions League qualification after defeat at Aston Villa left things mathematically open for Bournemouth.
Slot said his focus remained on ending the season strongly and rebuilding the side ahead of next term.
“Mo and I both have the same interest, we want the best for this club,” the Liverpool head coach said. “We want the club to be as successful as possible and we were both part of giving our fans their first league title again after five years.
“But we are also aware we didn’t have the same level this season. What we want, what he wants, what I want is for the club to be as successful as we were last season.”
The episode is the second public flashpoint between player and manager this season after Salah revealed tensions between them in December. Slot punished the forward at the time by leaving him out for the next game, a trip to Inter.
He declined to discuss whether Salah would feature against Brentford but acknowledged the team’s football must improve.
“There were far too many games where we dominated ball possession but it didn’t lead to anything special or any moments,” Slot said.
“We try to evolve the team in a way that we can compete but definitely also play the brand of football, the style of football the fans, I, and hopefully Mo if he’s somewhere else at that moment in time will like as well.”
