The current Liverpool boss has defiantly responded to Mohamed Salah's claim
Liverpool's German manager Jurgen Klopp talks with Liverpool's Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah during half-time in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg football match between Liverpool and Atalanta at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on April 11, 2024.
Jurgen Klopp admitted Mohamed Salah isn't the easiest player to manage(Image: Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images)
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Jurgen Klopp's comments regarding Mohamed Salah have rung eerily true. The Egyptian has been outspoken in his criticism of Liverpool's lacklustre defence of their Premier League crown, prompting Arne Slot to reject suggestions that the club's standards have slipped.
Klopp spent seven seasons alongside Salah at Anfield, claiming the league title and a Champions League triumph as well as numerous other trophies. The duo developed a strong working relationship, which enabled the German manager to understand precisely how to manage the forward's temperament.
Slot has encountered certain difficulties with Salah this campaign, with the 33-year-old suggesting he was "thrown under the bus" by the club amid their disappointing spell. Consequently, he was dropped from the starting line-up before being reintegrated into the team following talks with the manager.
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Klopp's earlier observations about Salah have proved accurate, as he acknowledged that managing the winger is far from straightforward. Speaking in the BBC One documentary titled 'Mo Salah - Never Give Up', the former Liverpool boss said: "We are all massively influenced by our past - how we were raised, where we grew up.
"Mo knew early on [in his life] that he had to do more than others. He always developed. He never stops. That is his mindset. After each summer break he came back and had a new skill. It was like he had spent the whole time just practising one particular type of pass.
Mohamed Salah.
Mohamed Salah has been outspoken this season(Image: Alfie Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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"We pushed each other, just to make sure that we would never stop. And we never did stop. That moment lifting the Premier League bonded us for life. He will be remembered as one of the greatest of all time.
"I wouldn't say he is easy to manage, but he is also not difficult to manage. You [only] have problems with Mo Salah if he is not playing or you take him off."
Salah's public stance towards his reduced role illustrated just how seriously he took being a key component of the Liverpool side. The Egyptian delivered some pointed remarks following the Reds' 3-2 defeat to Manchester United last weekend, admitting that "there is a lot of work to be done behind the scenes."
Slot responded to Salah's words as he insisted standards were still high at the club. He said: "Does Virgil mean the same as what Mo is saying? And what Mo is saying is that standards are really important for a football club.
"I cannot agree more with him! I did not hear him say that the standards are not okay now. Did you? I'm not worried about it, let's put it that way. I'm not worried that the standards will be lower next season than they were this season, or the season before or the season before. No. I'm not worried about it. At all."
Arne Slot manager / head coach of Liverpool speaks with Mohamed Salah of Liverpool as he goes off injured during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield on April 25, 2026 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Arne Slot has shut down Salah's claims(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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Slot added: "I wish I was able to say what I feel at this moment but I can't. So, how will I answer that question then? As I said, I completely agree with him (Salah) how important these standards are. I think they are in a good place at the moment.
"I think it also makes sense that younger players – it doesn't have to be the new players, it can be the seven-year-old that comes from the academy – they usually get the example of players like Mo and others for them to understand and to know what it takes to play every three days at this level.
"I see – and I think – that our younger players have improved in this already. I am completely convinced that we have enough players next season – and, add to that, the ones that we will sign – to put the standards exactly into the place they are needed."
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