Salah vs Slot is different from Ronaldo vs Ten Hag – but who’s to blame?

Liverpool manager Arne Slot and star player Mohamed Salah have had a very public falling-out, and it’s unsurprisingly drawn comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo’s infamous exit from Manchester United.

Salah was left out of the Liverpool squad to take on Inter Milan on Tuesday night following his outburst at the end of the Leeds United game at the weekend, which itself followed three consecutive games of being left on the bench by Slot.

It now seems inevitable that Salah will end up leaving Anfield, with his future set to be resolved after his participation at AFCON over the winter period.

But should it actually be Salah making way here, or is Slot the one in the wrong?

As much as this story shares some similarities to Ronaldo’s infamous falling-out with Erik ten Hag towards the end of his second spell at Man Utd, the situation also has some key differences that need to be factored in.

With Ronaldo, United were dealing with an ageing superstar who didn’t really fit in with the new manager’s plans. Ten Hag was new to the job, and, even if it wasn’t wise to pick a fight with such a big personality in the dressing room, he was also under pressure to impose his philosophy, and that meant building for the future without someone who wouldn’t press or track back.

Even if Ronaldo had his moments under previous manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, it was still arguably a mistake to re-sign him and disrupt the promising squad that had been being built at Old Trafford, so in many ways it was admirable of Ten Hag to show how much he meant business by thinking more long-term about making his style of play work.

With Slot and Salah, the situation is completely different – this is a player who just fired the Reds to the Premier League title last season whilst winning the Golden Boot and generally enjoying one of his best campaigns at the club. He was duly awarded with a new contract before the summer, so you can forgive him for now wondering why he isn’t considered a key player anymore just a few months later.

In fairness to Slot, he’s also not Ten Hag, who proved to be a disaster at United. Slot immediately delivered a Premier League title in his first season in charge, so has perhaps earned the chance to make this big call on Salah.

The Dutch tactician could perhaps have handled things differently, though, considering Salah’s role in the team’s success just a few months ago. Even if the 33-year-old hadn’t started the season well, he’s also far from the only one who would arguably merit being dropped for a few matches. The apparent attempt to single Salah out like this seems unfair and unwarranted.

Ultimately, though, the manager is paid to make these tough decisions, and Salah could also have handled his response better than he has. Sometimes big names will sit out a few matches before coming back, and any coach should be able to do that without fearing such a major backlash. Salah has achieved very little with his public outburst – it only makes it more likely he’ll continue to miss games, and it further unsettles Slot at a time when he is already under pressure to fix morale in this struggling squad.

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