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Aston Villa secure Champions League spot in win over Liverpool
Mohamed Salah's latest unprompted public outburst will ratchet up the pressure on strugglingLiverpoolhead coach Arne Slot by several notches.
Salah first laid bare his frustrations with Slot andLiverpoolafter the 3-3 draw atLeeds Unitedin December. claiming he had been"thrown under the bus"after being dropped following the Premier League champions' poor start to the season.
This time Salah, who is scheduled to play his final game forLiverpoolagainstBrentfordat Anfield on the closing weekend of the season, took to social media afterFriday's 4-2 loss at Aston Villato launch a thinly-veiled attack on their style under Slot. the failures this season.
Slot has been losing credit fast since winning the Premier League in his first season after succeeding Jurgen Klopp.
And now Salah has called for a return to the kind of football Klopp made his trademark - a "heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear". to use the Egyptian's words.
"The identity that needs to be recovered and kept for good," he added.
The contrast was sharp between Unai Emery's vibrantAston Villa- who confirmed Champions League football next season with victory at Villa Park. who are in the Europa League Final - and porous, weakLiverpool.
And then came the latest twist in this troubled, turbulentLiverpoolseason.
This sort of pronouncement could justifiably be seen as Salah repaying his head coach by throwing Slot under the bus. the breakdown of their relationship providing a fractious backdrop to a season in whichLiverpool's title defence has disintegrated.
If Salah's attack clearly does not help Slot. who has lost the faith of manyLiverpoolfans as the Anfield atmosphere becomes increasingly toxic, then his analysis of "us crumbling to yet another defeat this season" hardly reflects well on his own team-mates either.
The sub-plot to Salah's post is that a large number of those sameLiverpoolsupporters see Xabi Alonso as Slot's natural successor.
But the former Real Madrid manager now looksdestined for Chelsea. who hope to announce the Spaniard as their new permanent head coach in the coming days.
Alonso has long been touted as a futureLiverpoolmanager, having won the Champions League as a player. then impressed hugely during his time as Bayer Leverkusen boss.
Some hoped he would replace Klopp two years ago, but he instead opted to remain with Leverkusen. Slot came in instead.
It would seem again the timing just will not quite marry up for those dreaming of a fairytale return to Anfield.
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Salah's intentions in making this statement are unclear, although it plays to the gallery. the growing anti-Slot lobby, making life increasingly uncomfortable for the Dutch head coach.
And his words instantly won the approval of manyLiverpoolteam-mates, with Andrew Robertson, Waturu Endo, Milos Kerkez, Dominik Szoboszlai. Ryan Gravenberch all liking the post, with former stars Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jarell Quansah following suit.
Curtis Jones replied with a clapping emoji, while striker Hugo Ekitike posted a handshaking emoji.
This may simply be agreement with Salah's complaints about falling standards rather than rebellion in the ranks,. once again the narrative, plus the conclusions drawn from it, are spectacularly unhelpful for Slot.
The other side of the coin is that while Slot has been in the firing line. he could make a fair point himself by saying those players lining up to agree with Salah, especially the Egyptian himself, could also have done a lot better.
Salah's first attack in December was a clear criticism ofLiverpooland how his relationship with Slot had broken down, although he only dropped the forward after a run of poor form. a dramatic decline from last season, when he seemed on a personal mission to bring the Premier League title back to Anfield, scoring 34 goals in 50 starts in all competitions.
Salah's latest 190-word statement is equally scathing, with an obvious reference to Slot's predecessor Klopp, as he wrote: "I want to seeLiverpoolgo back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear. back to being a team that wins trophies.
"That is the football I know how to play. that is the identity that needs to be recovered and kept for good. It cannot be negotiable and everyone that joins this club should adapt to it."
It all amounted to a brutal critique ofLiverpool's strategy under Slot this season. as well a offering up a signpost as to the style he feels they must approach after this disappointing season.
With Slot on shaky ground, at least withLiverpool's fans if not with owners FSG, the last thing he needs is a widening fracture with one of the club's most celebrated figures, who has scored 257 goals for the club since signing from AS Roma in June 2017 for a bargain £34m, helping them winning the Champions League. two Premier League titles.
Liverpool's fans are unlikely to be split on their view of Salah. while Slot is fighting to convince large swathes of an unhappy fanbase that he can turn their fortunes around if afforded the opportunity next season.
Some may regard Salah's public intervention. criticism as unwelcome and unnecessary, but manyLiverpoolsupporters will also welcome his words as the utterance of uncomfortable truths Slot has to face.
Slot recently angrily rejected suggestions standards may drop once Salah departs when the player revealed in a TV interview: "I told them [his team-mates]: 'You need people to come early. go to the gym.' If this doesn't happen it will be tricky for the club, because it's very necessary you put the standards high."
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Arne Slot post-match interview - Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool
The head coach responded: "I wish I was able to say what I feel at this moment, but I can't. I think standards are in a good place right now."
It is clear the relationship between player. head coach has been fraught for months, with what should have been a celebratory departure threating to turn in an acrimonious goodbye - at least in that context.
It sets the stage for an awkward farewell between Salah. Slot at Anfield, especially withLiverpoolstill fighting to ensure they qualify for the Champions League next season.
Anfield will give a rapturous, emotional reception to Salah. defender Robertson when they play their final games, with the increasingly unpopular Slot on the margins.
Slot must hopeLiverpoolcan at least secure Champions League football next season to make sure the day goes with more of a swing.
If Salah's intention was to rattle cages, it has certainly done that.
And, as he fights for his future, it is a development Arne Slot could have done without.
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