Liverpool boss Arne Slot says he and Mohamed Salah have moved on from turbulent week
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Liverpool manager Arne Slot says he and Mohamed Salah have "moved on" from their disagreements.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Liverpool boss Arne Slot said there were no lingering issues with Mohamed Salah after the forward’s criticism of the club, saying before the Dec 20 English Premier League showdown at Tottenham Hotspur that the pair had “moved on”.
Salah was a key player in the 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend, despite the turbulent week following the Egyptian’s scathing criticism of the club.
“I said last week actions speak louder than words,” Slot told reporters on Dec 19. “We moved on, he was in the squad and was the first substitution I made.
“Now he’s got Afcon and will play some big games, so it’s only fair that all focus is on them.”
Depending on how far Egypt advance at the Africa Cup of Nations, Salah could miss seven games, starting with the Spurs match. Slot’s men are seventh on 26 points, 10 behind leaders Arsenal.
The Reds transformed their squad over the summer transfer window, spending nearly £450 million (S$780 million) to bring in the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.
Apart from the impressive Ekitike, all the new signings have struggled and Slot conceded he had been overly optimistic over how long it would take for his new-look squad to perform consistently.
“I think we are getting closer and closer to the team I want us to be and that has gone with ups and downs,” added the Dutchman.
“But, for me, that makes complete sense because all the changes we’ve made during the summer, and we made them on purpose because we thought we needed to.
“But, looking back on it, reflecting on it now, I think I’ve been too positive... if you go with a new group where not all of them are completely ready to play every single game, 90 minutes in this intensity, you have to adapt.
“So it takes maybe a bit of time, and we’ve been very unlucky.”
Joe Gomez and Cody Gakpo will miss the trip to Tottenham due to injury, but Slot is hopeful that Dominik Szoboszlai will be fit to start. Frimpong returns after a two-month absence.
In the other camp, Spurs manager Thomas Frank admitted there was no “quick fix” at Tottenham after their painful 3-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest last week.
But how patient will the club hierarchy be after just four wins in their past 14 games in all competitions?
Fans endured a terrible Premier League campaign under Ange Postecoglou last season, when the team finished 17th, but at least they were entertained and ultimately celebrated Europa League glory.
There has been little tangible progress under Frank, whose team are in 11th.
After 16 league games in 2024-25, Postecoglou’s team had scored 11 more goals and conceded two fewer than Frank’s side.
Strikingly, only Everton, Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers have had fewer shots on target than Spurs, even though they reinforced their attack in the summer transfer window, bringing in Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani.
Frank is confident he will get the time to turn things around but the clock is ticking.
“I feel supported. I have felt that the whole time. My mind has not changed. We are building,” the Dane said. “I’ve said it many times, I am most critical of myself... I’m working 24/7 to make sure we get everything right.
“I’m very comfortable and confident that I will fix it but it is not just me. When this club comes out on top, there will be many good people working together and aligned for years.
“If you want success, you need the right people aligned at the right time. There will be good times, there will be bad.”
On facing Liverpool, he added: “They are an excellent team. They are the champions. It is a very good team but I know we can compete at a high level and compete very well.” REUTERS, AFP
