Image Credits: Imago Images
The chaos engulfing Liverpool Football Club showed some signs of abating with a mature performance put in by Arne Slot’s side against Inter Milan on Tuesday night. While it was not a vintage Reds performance in Europe, it was much improved with plenty of fight and grit that had been lacking in previous outings. However, both pre and post-match discourse was predictably dominated by Mohamed Salah and his omission for the trip to the San Siro. If supporters were hoping for a swift resolution before the weekend, Slot’s post-match comments suggest otherwise.
Speaking to Clarence Seedorf after the Inter victory, Slot appeared to place the onus firmly on Salah when it came to any potential reconciliation. The former Netherlands midfielder suggested that “everyone makes mistakes” and pressed Slot on whether the Egyptian should be welcomed back into the fold. The Liverpool manager’s response was telling: “You mention that everyone makes mistakes in life, but it first raises the question of whether the player believes he has made a mistake too,” Slot said. “Then we have to consider whether the initiative should originate from me or from him. That’s another matter to contemplate.”
With Saturday’s fixture against Brighton at Anfield now looming large, the clock is ticking. Salah is due to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations on December 15, just two days after the Brighton match. That makes Saturday’s game his last opportunity to feature for Liverpool before jetting off to join Egypt for the tournament, which runs from December 21 to January 18. However, former Liverpool man Daniel Sturridge believes that Salah wants to remain a Liverpool player but also “wants to play:
“He is going to be watching at home wishing he was here. Wishing he could have helped the team,” Sturridge said to Amazon Prime Video Sport. “In the moment there is a level of reflection, because it is so raw now and it is so fresh it is hard to reflect on the situation. We are in it. We have all been through ups and downs. I think for Mo right now, I think he wants to help the team get back to where they have been which was at the top. I think watching what’s happened you want to be part of it. You’re at home, you’re sat there. This goes for players who are injured and players who are in this situation the last thing you want to do is not be part of it. I think that is of course going to be hurting him because he knows. He loves playing for this club, I know this. Mo has told me ‘I love this football club. I don’t want to leave this club. This is where I want to be’. He wants to be a Liverpool player but he wants to play.”
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