It will take a brave and confident manager to replace Mohamed Salah. Especially as Arne Slot did in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over RB Leipzig.
In modern soccer, the definition of ‘aura’ has disappeared.
It is now a term used by Arsenal fans when a player pulls up his collar or is trying to make it happen after two or more clean sheets.
Of course, there are still players with a real aura, and that is certainly the case with the current Liverpool squad.
Speaking about his experience working with Virgil van Dijk, Slot told Viaplay in early October:
“Before I started working with Virgil, I always said I didn’t really believe in the concept of a leader anymore.
(…)
“But I think Virgil is the one who continues to make sure the players are there and the leader in coaching.”
Like Van Dijk, Salah is a player who poses a real threat to his opponents. Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, for example, once recalled a running battle that left him feeling “done.”
This is the definition of aura, and Salah has backed it up with free-scoring seasons in his seven seasons at Anfield before that.
For a manager lacking elite level experience to succeed one of the most legendary managers at one of the biggest clubs in the world, the aura can be tricky to handle.
But Slot has shown no signs of such problems as he has been at Liverpool with his slick accuracy and clinical execution.
Wednesday night’s 1-0 win at Leipzig provided further evidence of this. The first man, Salah, left the pitch after just 63 minutes, with the result still ostensibly in the balance.
Salah reacted as expected, with the number 11 clearly frustrated at being substituted so early in the Champions League draw.
Salah simply does not want to be replaced
However, there were no clashes with his manager and he shared handshakes with substitute Luis Diaz, Slot and his assistants Fabian Otte and Sipke Hulshoff. There was no smile as he left the pitch, but that was Salah.
It was a contrast to six months ago, when Salah furiously berated Jurgen Klopp on the touchline as he waited 11 minutes to earn a 2-2 draw against West Ham.
The winger, who was outclassed by Darwin Nunez of all players, made his feelings on the situation clear. With little time to influence the result, Liverpool’s title challenge was over.
That wasn’t even the first flashpoint between Salah and Klopp in his final season.
The 32-year-old threw his wrist tape onto the turf and refused to acknowledge his manager when he came on as a substitute for Ben Doak after 77 minutes of the 1-1 draw with Chelsea to open the 2023/24 campaign.
Describing the incident, Klopp said his team “need fresh legs” and insisted Salah’s response was “totally fine”, while he dismissed suggestions of friction with the leading goalscorer after the draw with West Ham in April. I ignored it.
“We talked about it in the dressing room and that was the end of it for me. That’s it. That’s it,” he told reporters at the post-game press conference.
“That was my impression (that Salah agreed), that’s right.”
But Klopp’s tone as he addressed the situation bordered on weary resignation, and as he discussed the stretched roster and the need for replacements, he acknowledged it was for the next generation and no longer for me.
Managing a player with the world’s greatest talent and Mohamed Salah’s relentless ambition requires energy that Klopp has had for years but is increasingly lacking.
Slot explained it perfectly.
His replacements are plentiful and Slot has the same issues with the press and the English football calendar, but he arrives at Anfield with an all-encompassing motivation.
The players accepted this and immediately embraced the Dutchman’s spirit and the details of Liverpool’s early success under his management.
“We now have to take care of the players who have played a lot because they have had injuries,” Slott explained at the post-match press conference in Leipzig.
“Mo is one of them and Sunday is another big game coming up.
“We need to mobilize as many players as we have available for these tough weeks and months. Everyone needs to be ready to play because we have tough months coming, not just weeks.”
There was indeed calm when Slot responded to a question before kick-off about replacing a player who has spent more time with Liverpool.
It wasn’t just a concern.
Salah will never be happy to be replaced. He has only been sent off 13 times before the 63rd minute, and twice due to injury. But he still showed respect as he left the field at Red Bull Arena.
Whether or not the pre-planned changes were almost certainly explained to him before the game began, Slot seemed to acknowledge that he knew what he was doing.
Perhaps it could itself be defined as an aura. Klopp had that too, and his successor seems to have that too.
He may have arrived from Feyenoord with a relatively humble resume, but Slot has already cemented his reputation among a team comprised of world-class title-winning players.
It was a small moment that summed up how quickly he has solidified his authority in the role, starting his reign with 11 wins from 12 so far.
This is reflected in the support of the players themselves. Whether it’s Dominic Szoboslai happy to do the “dirty work” in midfield or Salah losing a high-profile Champions League game, it can only bode well for Liverpool moving forward.
