Arne Slot is absolutely right to finally bite back at his Liverpool players for letting standards drop

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Arne Slot hit back at suggestions from Mohamed Salah that the standards at Liverpool have plummeted under his leadership.Salah spoke passionately last week to air some concerns that there will be no standard-setters left at the club following his imminent exit.However, when put to him during Friday’s pre-Chelsea press conference, Slot rightly bristled at the suggestion, and finally lay some blame at the feet of his underperforming players. Barroso/Europa Press/Getty Images Liverpool players need to get a gripThroughout Liverpool‘s difficult 2025/26 campaign, Slot has mostly had to carry the can for the team’s poor performances.While pressure has continued to mount on the manager, many of the players have got away without a modicum of criticism.Though Slot knows that the buck stops with him, and he has deserved much of the negative feedback coming his way, it was nice to hear him come out swinging on Friday, with an especially pointed message for Salah in particular.“The standards are not only important in the gym,” he said, with The Times reporting that the sentence ‘lingered’ in the press room, before Slot added: “It’s also on the pitch.

Without me saying anything?” the Dutchman later bolted-on, and given his answer was in direct response to a question about Salah’s comments, the inference, intended or not, was fairly clear.There will no doubt be plenty that comes out from Salah’s side following his exit this summer, most of which will be aimed at painting Slot in the worst light possible, but that may overlook the fact that the head coach was right to drop him in December, and whatever the reason for it may be, Salah’s standards have not been at the expected level this term.The Egyptian is far from being alone in that, but in talking about the drop-off from when he leaves, he has possibly failed to notice that it has already long-since begun while he is still at the club. That is not on Slot, it is on the players themselves.

Slot has to crack the whip more next seasonThere has been a little shift in Slot’s demeanour over recent days and weeks. Rate Arne Slot’s second season as Liverpool head coach Can anyone make a serious argument for higher than a C? 😶 Photo Credit: Getty Images/Carl Recine That should be music to the ears of Liverpool supporters, and though there will be some worries over the noises about standards, days off and all the rest of it, Slot seems like a man ready to crack the whip on his players.The 47-year-old has it within himself to lead this group of players to titles, he has already shown that.