‘Means a lot to me’: Arne Slot happy with Liverpool fans chanting his name amid Mo Salah feud

In their last 15 games since the start of October, Liverpool have experienced eight defeats and two draws while winning the remaining five games across all competitions. The slump in form led to Slot benching Salah, which the forward did not take too kindly to.

Most of the other Liverpool players including the talismanic Salah have struggled for consistency. (PHOTO: AP)

Most Liverpool players including the talismanic Mo Salah have struggled for consistency this season. (PHOTO: AP)

Liverpool’s under-fire manager Arne Slot has received some backing from their loyal travelling fanbase after a season of woe has culminated in star Mo Salah training his guns on him and accusing the club of “throwing him under the bus”.

In their last 15 games since the start of October, Liverpool have experienced eight defeats and two draws while winning the remaining five games across all competitions. The slump in form led to Slot benching Salah, which the forward did not take too kindly to. He gave an explosive interview in the mixed zone to media, lampooning the manager and the club which he has led to Premier League titles in the past.

But when Liverpool travelled to Italy for Tuesday’s game at Inter Milan in the Champions League — which the Reds managed to win by a narrow 1-0 margin — the nearly 5,000-strong travelling support group loudly chanted Slot’s name before and after the game. Salah was left out of the 19-player squad that traveled to Italy for Tuesday’s match, despite seeming to be in good spirits at training earlier.

Mo Salah (L) sensationally claimed that his relationship with Liverpool manager Arne Slot has now broken down. (Reuters)

“That means a lot to me,” Slot said about the fans’ support. “But it’s not about me, it’s about the team. And they were also there for the team. So many away fans in difficult circumstances for the club and it shows you one more time: If things go against us or if there’s a hard time, we’re all there for each other and we fight together and that’s what the fans of the players showed today.”

When addressing the media at a press conference, Slot was repeatedly asked about Salah’s comments and whether the manager and player had spoken in the aftermath of the comments. Slot said he had only spoken with Salah to inform him that he was not going to be on the plane to travel to Italy for the Champions League clash.

ALSO READ | ‘Mo Salah’s interview was a disgrace’: Jamie Carragher slams Liverpool star over explosive rant in mixed zone

“We let him know that he’s not traveling with us. So that was the only communication that’s been there from us to him,” Liverpool coach Slot said as he was inundated by questions about Salah in his pre-match press conference on Monday. Slot added that the Egypt forward’s reaction was “a short one.”

(With inputs from AP)