Almost 48 hours after Salah spoke, this was Arne Slot’s chance to have his say.
Monday was a holiday in Milan, but the press conference room inside the San Siro was still full. It’s hard to imagine a more anticipated pre-match press conference in recent memory.
Slot took advantage of his humor to start by joking with a journalist saying that he was asking five questions in one, but minute by minute details emerged and it became clear who was in charge.
Asked by BBC Sport if he understood Salah’s comments when the Egyptian said he was “thrown under the bus”, Slot said: “Normally I’m calm, I’m polite but I’m not weak. If a player has these comments about so many things then it’s up to me and the club to react. We react in a way that you can see because he’s not here.”
Slot was up front and was then backed up by goalkeeper Alisson, who insisted the Liverpool team are firmly behind the manager who won the Premier League.
That endorsement from a veteran player was crucial on a night when Slot was asked if he felt his authority was undermined by the entire saga.
Slot categorically denied that he felt that way, although he was surprised when he heard the quotes Saturday night.
The Liverpool manager did not delve too deeply into the details, insisting that his conversation with Salah was brief, but he said enough to explain the situation without further inflaming it.
And, more importantly, the door remains open for Salah despite Slot saying he had “no idea” whether the 33-year-old played his last game for the club.
The club insists this was mainly due to Salah casting doubt on his own future. His position is that Salah is still under contract and, as Slot said, is a “firm believer” in the possibility of a player returning.
After 10 minutes of questions focused solely on Salah, Liverpool’s media officer, sitting next to Slot, insisted it was time to move on to questions about the game itself.
Ultimately though, regardless of how Liverpool fare against Inter Milan tomorrow, this is a story that will continue to dominate the agenda until there is a clear resolution.
