‘It’s going to be the club’s and his decision,’ midfielder says Curtis Jones insists squad firmly behind Arne Slot Dominik Szoboszlai has said the Liverpool dressing room will have no influence over Mohamed Salah’s next move because only the player and the club can decide how their standoff ends. Salah missed Liverpool’s valuable Champions League win at Inter on Tuesday having been left out of Arne Slot’s squad in response to his highly critical interview at Leeds. The 33-year-old could also be absent when Liverpool host Brighton on Saturday. He is due to report for Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt on Monday. Continue reading...

‘We couldn’t have asked for more,’ says manager Slot skirts around the Mohamed Salah issue Arne Slot said Liverpool’s players gave everything he could have asked after they put Mohamed Salah’s absence aside to inflict a first European home defeat on Inter in more than three years. The Liverpool head coach conceded that Dominik Szoboszlai’s decisive 88th-minute penalty – awarded for a shirt pull by Alessandro Bastoni on Florian Wirtz – would probably not have been given in the Premier League. But following the difficulties caused by Salah’s incendiary interview at Leeds on Saturday, Slot was thrilled with the response of his team at San Siro. Continue reading...

The Liverpool hierarchy protected Arne Slot’s authority by axing Mohamed Salah from the Champions League trip to Milan. The Liverpool team followed suit by inflicting a first European home defeat on Internazionale since September 2022 courtesy of Dominik Szoboszlai’s 88th minute penalty. A brooding superstar with a bruised ego looked on from afar. Salah would have been on penalty duties had he not talked himself out of a showpiece occasion at the San Siro, another legend of the game that is showing its age. Instead it fell to Szoboszlai, the friend he argued should not be playing on the right ahead of him, to give Slot a precious victory after Alessandro Bastoni was penalised for pulling Florian Wirtz’s shirt in the box with minutes remaining. Continue reading...

⚽ Champions League updates from the 8pm GMT kick-off ⚽ Live scores | David Squires on Salah | Follow us at Bluesky Arne Slot makes four changes from the 3-3 draw at Leeds: Andy Robertson, Joe Gomez, Alexis Mac Allister and Alexander Isak replace Milos Kerkez, Conor Bradley, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo. Liverpool have named only eight of a possible 12 subs. Cristian Chiva sticks with the Inter side that hammered Como at the weekend. Continue reading...

Our cartoonist on the trouble at Anfield after Egyptian’s stinging response to being dropped by Arne Slot David’s favourite cartoons of 2025 | Buy one here And his latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now Continue reading...

Head coach also insisted he is not ‘weak’ amid row Egyptian left out of squad for game at Inter Arne Slot has cast further doubt on Mohamed Salah’s future at Liverpool by admitting he has “no clue” whether the forward has played his last game for the club. The Liverpool head coach also insisted his politeness should not be mistaken for weakness after leaving Salah out of the Champions League game against Inter on Tuesday. Slot gave his first public reaction on Monday to Salah’s incendiary interview at Leeds when previewing Liverpool’s match at San Siro. He denied Salah’s claims that their relationship had broken down and said only the Egypt international knows who supposedly threw him under a bus and wants him out of the club. Continue reading...

Forward part of preparations for game against Inter No guarantee he will play following outspoken attack Mohamed Salah took part in a Liverpool training session on Monday afternoon as speculation continues to swirl around the Egyptian’s future following his outspoken attack on the club and Arne Slot at the weekend. Salah was all smiles as he and his teammates began preparations for Tuesday evening’s Champions League fixture with Inter at the club’s AXA Training Centre, most eye-catchingly speaking and laughing with Dominik Szoboszlai. Slot, meanwhile, could be seen watching the open session in the presence of a couple of his coaches. Continue reading...

Forward may be dropped from Champions League squad Saudi clubs set to renew interest during transfer window Mohamed Salah could be omitted from Liverpool’s Champions League trip to Milan to play Inter on Tuesday after his outspoken attack on the club and Arne Slot. Salah’s future at Anfield is in question after the incendiary interview he gave at Leeds on Saturday, in which he accused the club of throwing him under a bus. The 33-year-old also claimed he no longer has a relationship with Slot, who omitted the forward from his starting lineup for a third game in succession. Continue reading...

Last season, there was a coldly efficient streak to Liverpool. They rolled out a series of unremarkable 2-0 wins, a title rooted in unfussy competence. This season could hardly be more different; they are neither unfussy nor competent. They led 2-0 and, four minutes intostoppage time, they led 3-2, and yet still they didn’t win it. It was tremendous fun, but Arne Slot will have hated it. Just as no side can be sure whether a win at West Ham in their previous away match means they’ve played well or were just playing West Ham, so it would be unwise to read too much into this mishmash of the haplessness and excellence. Their three goals all resulted from fine finishes and one from clever buildup play, but the image of the game – once again – would be Virgil van Dijk standing hands on hips, steam rising both literally and metaphorically as he glared in disbelief at the bizarrely diffident defending around him. Continue reading...

‘We want to bring him into more threatening situations’ Conor Bradley available for Saturday’s trip to Leeds Arne Slot has conceded Liverpool are not bringing the best out of record signing Alexander Isak and must maximise his strengths in the manner Manchester City do with Erling Haaland. The £125m striker scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool in last Sunday’s win at West Ham but was unable to build on that breakthrough against Sunderland on Wednesday. Isak had another quiet game. Slot has repeatedly defended Isak’s slow start as an inevitable consequence of missing pre-season with Newcastle, when he effectively downed tools to force his exit, but Liverpool’s head coach admits his team are also culpable for the player’s problems. Continue reading...

Liverpool’s big name, big money summer signings owed Arne Slot following poor starts to life at Anfield and, right on cue, Florian Wirtz delivered. A deflected shot from the potential £116m recruit spared the Premier League champions the ignominy of a 10th defeat in 14 games with a late equaliser against Sunderland, who will count this as an opportunity missed. Chemsdine Talbi had set the in-form visitors on course for a first win at Anfield since 1983 before Wirtz levelled in style in the 81st minute. Sunderland substitute Wilson Isidor was close to restoring his side’s lead when rounding Alisson in stoppage time but a superb goalline clearance from striker Federico Chiesa salvaged a point for Liverpool. Continue reading...

Salah left out for champions’ victory at West Ham Slot: ‘It’s not a nice thing for him and not for me’ Arne Slot has admitted feeling unease at dropping Mohamed Salah after the striker’s eight phenomenal seasons at Liverpool, and said he wants him “doing something special” on the pitch rather than sitting misera­bly on the bench. Omitting Salah was Slot’s big call at West Ham on Sunday when the ­Liverpool head coach found a ­solution to the Premier League champions’ dismal run of results. The Egypt international, who will depart for the Africa Cup of Nations on 15 December, has struggled to hit his customary heights this season and is not guaranteed to return against Sunderland at Anfield on Wednesday. Continue reading...

⚽ Premier League updates from the 2.05pm GMT kick-off ⚽ Billy Bonds dies aged 79 | Top scorers | Email John Arne Slot has been explaining his team selection to Sky Sports. “We have more players on the bench than just Mo but I understand why you ask the question. We’re playing four games in 10 days. I have many good players, so today I chose this line-up. Sometimes Isak has been on the bench, sometimes Wirtz so I understand why it’s about the players on the bench but it’s also about those that start. Continue reading...

Under-pressure manager won’t change defensive shape Dutchman considering dropping Konaté for West Ham trip Arne Slot has said he cannot make dramatic changes to arrest Liverpool’s slump given the squad is suited to his system and he has little time on the training ground to implement a new approach. Slot is under increasing pressure before Sunday’s Premier League visit to West Ham having presided over the club’s worst run in 71 years. He has faced calls to drop the under-performing Ibrahima Konaté and Mohamed Salah in recent days, or to shake up his style in an attempt to halt the slide. Continue reading...