More than 10 days after Mohamed Salah announced his departure from Liverpool, and 4 months after the controversial interview when he said he had no relationship with Arne Slot, the Dutch strategist affirmed that he did not regret anything.
At least in some ways, Slot said he is satisfied with the handling of the story related to Salah. He admitted that this season there are decisions that could be done better, but not directly aimed at the Egyptian striker's case.
This week, Slot also showed respect for Salah when affirming that the third highest scorer in Liverpool history will leave as a legend.
However, he understands that in the eyes of many people, he is becoming a "villain" - the one who ended Salah's reign at Anfield. Slot only smiled when this was mentioned, showing that he is clearly aware of public pressure.
At the age of 33, Salah may extend his career for a few more years, but reaching deep in the Champions League and FA Cup may bring a complete farewell. Conversely, he is also likely to end his journey at Liverpool in regret if the team does not achieve good results.
Indirectly, the previous away match at the Etihad contributed to Salah being pushed to the bench, before he exploded again. Not named specifically, Slot once hinted in the 0-3 defeat to Man City that Conor Bradley was isolated by Jeremy Doku and Nico O'Reilly.
After 2 defeats, Salah was dropped from the squad. Having to sit on the bench for 3 matches in a week - even though he was still put on the field in one match - leading to the outbreak at Elland Road, is considered one of the reasons why he decided to leave.
However, Slot does not agree with that view. He believes that only Salah can explain the real reason. After the incident, the striker still participated in AFCON and when he returned, he played almost all qualifying matches.
The relationship between the two sides seems to have been healed after AFCON, which is short-term compromise for the common good. Salah was once excluded from the trip to Italy to meet Inter Milan, before the two sides had many exchanges to bring him back to the squad.
In the end, Salah chose to leave one year earlier than his contract. Slot emphasized that this is a player's personal decision, and he has no right to interfere. He also believes that Salah will soon publicly share the reason.
The match against Man City this weekend will be Salah's first appearance since announcing his departure from Liverpool. With Slot, the biggest task at this time is to find a replacement for an irreplaceable player. He admitted that no one is capable of recreating what Salah has done - 255 goals, 119 assists and a series of individual and collective titles.
Liverpool has prepared for the future early when spending about 300 million pounds to recruit Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz. Slot believes that the solution is not to find a "new Salah", but to elevate the whole system. The Dutch captain believes that when the trio Isak, Ekitike and Wirtz have more time to play together, Liverpool will become stronger.
Isak may still start from the bench against Man City, while Salah is likely to start. This will be the beginning of the journey to say goodbye to a legend, and also the time Slot must prove that he can build a new Liverpool without their greatest symbol.
