Arne Slot Sets Mohamed Salah ‘Expectations’ Ahead of Liverpool Return

Slot admitted that the tactical issues which opponents blamed on Salah before his AFCON departure have not been solved in his absence.

Mohamed Salah (left) has endured a fractious relationship with Arne Slot this season. | Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Liverpool manager Arne Slot revealed that there have been discussions with Mohamed Salah about the club’s expectations for him ahead of his impending return from the Africa Cup of Nations next week.

After Salah’s Egypt were once again beaten by a decisive strike from his former Liverpool teammate and Senegal talisman Sadio Mané in the AFCON semi-final, it was confirmed that his last match on international duty would be in Saturday’s third-place playoff against Nigeria.

That contest still prevents Salah from playing any role in Liverpool’s Premier League meeting with Burnley on the same day. However, Slot opened the door to the winger’s involvement in next Wednesday’s Champions League tie away to Marseille.

“He’ll be available next week,” Slot confirmed on Friday. “We’re in talks with him about what is expected of him over there and what we expect over here.

“First of all, he needs to have an important game over there. First of all he has an important game on Saturday, and then he'll be back with us.

“We’re talking together about whether he will be available for the Champions League.”

Quite what those expectations would be are unclear. “What happens between Mo and me, on our phones or over here, stays between the two of us,” Slot sniped. “I don’t think it’s necessary for me to share the private conversations I have with any of my players.”

Another tournament passes by without a trophy for Mo Salah.

The agonising wait comes after Egypt won three AFCON in a row before his debut. pic.twitter.com/LOAKny7WoV

— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) January 15, 2026

However, the Dutch boss was more open in his satisfaction at having Salah back available. Liverpool’s top scorer of the past eight consecutive years has not started a game for the Reds since Nov. 26, 2025—a gruesome 4–1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven. This prolonged spell on the bench eventually tipped Salah over the edge, sparking an extraordinary outburst during which he revealed that he “doesn’t have any relationship” with Slot.

After several days of feverish speculation, the pair managed to patch things up and Salah’s most recent appearance for Liverpool was a promising cameo off the bench in a 2–0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

“I’m happy he comes back,” Slot insisted this week, “he has been so important to the club, and to me.

“I’m happy he’s coming back, if I had 15 attackers I would still be happy to have him back—but that’s not our current situation!”

Alexander Isak has broken his leg during Salah’s failed international outing, while Hugo Ekitiké also picked up a minor hamstring issue, forcing Slot to experiment with several different frontline configurations.

Since Salah was first dropped from the team back in November, Liverpool have strung together 11 unbeaten matches. However, as Slot pointed out, five of those have been draws as the defending champions continue to search for some tactical balance.

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Slot Admits Liverpool Haven’t Found Balance Without Salah

Arne Slot’s squad is struggling. | Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

Slot dropped Salah from the team after shipping 10 goals in three straight defeats. The forward had been granted special dispensation when it came to tracking back throughout a triumphant 2024–25 given his attacking efficiency in the final third. That output has dried up this term. In the absence of a steady stream of goals and assists, Salah’s defensive work rate (or lack thereof) came under heightened scrutiny.

Yet, without this supposed defensive liability in the team, Liverpool have shifted to the opposite extreme. Slot has been pained to concede that his side are now “boring,” cautiously keeping the ball without creating nearly as many scoring opportunities as before.

“We’ve hardly conceded chances in the last 11 games,” Slot argued, “but in the period before that when we lost a lot of games we created a lot but conceded more than we have recently. Those were more open games, where maybe people look back on it now and want them back. But the results weren’t as we want them to be.”

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Liverpool’s Defensive Improvement Has Come at an Attacking Cost

Statistic (per Game)	Pre Unbeaten Run	During Current Unbeaten Run
Games	20	11
Expected Goals For	1.73	1.35
Total Shots For	15.6	14.3
Shots on Target For	5.0	4.1
Expected Goals Against	1.11	0.84
Total Shots Against	10.9	9.5
Shots on Target Against	4.0	2.9

Stats via FBref.

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“I’m hoping and waiting for the moment when things really click, and people say, ‘Ah, it was nice to watch that ball possession but now there’s also a lot of chances,’” Slot added.

“But the moment we generate more chances, we probably have to be a bit more open. In a certain period of this season we conceded quite a lot of counter-attacks, so we have to find a ideal balance in creating but also conceding hardly any.”

“We have to find a balance, and we will,” the Dutch boss confidently concluded. “I can see the players growing, they’re getting better and fitter. We’re just waiting for a moment where we can kickstart our season even more than we have in the recent matches.”

Whether Salah’s return will offer that ignition remains to be seen.

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