Jamie Carragher says Liverpool’s win at Inter Milan was “massive” for Arne Slot and shows the fans are behind him.
The three points in the Champions League not only give Slot a much-needed reprieve from the noise surrounding him in a week where he has been engulfed in a public falling out with Mohamed Salah, but they have also strengthened his side’s position in Europe as they seek qualification to the knockout rounds, with Liverpool climbing into the top eight in the league phase.
Carragher said on CBS: “I was so desperate for Liverpool to win tonight, as I am every time they play, but more so for the manager for what he’s been through over the last few days.
“I don’t know him that well, have any real relationship with him, but he’s the Liverpool manager.
“We know what’s gone on and what was really telling was the supporters chanting his name in the first half when it was 0-0… they’re right behind their manager, even more so on the back of that result.
“It was a massive result, it’s a tough place to go and Liverpool needed that on the back of losing their last game at home in the Champions League to PSV.
“I’m happy for him more than anything. It’s been tough all season for him. As a manager, he has to do better in terms of getting more results with the squad of players he’s got, but that’s a huge result for him and the club.
“I’m over the moon for him.”
Slot admits last few days have cost Liverpool ‘energy’
Liverpool boss Slot refused to be drawn on any Salah updates with the player dropped for this game due to his extraordinary outburst after Saturday’s draw against Leeds, instead wanting to focus on the players that were at the San Siro and delivered the 1-0 win.
Slot said: “I think it was really hard for the players to concede in the last minute against Leeds, where, in my opinion, we already played a very good game. We hardly conceded a chance. In the last four games in general, we’ve hardly conceded a chance.
“To go away there with three goals conceded and a draw was really hard to take. And then that was already emotional. Then what happened afterwards was emotional, I think as well. It cost maybe a little bit of energy. Fourth game in 10 days, 13 outfield players available that have Premier League or Champions League experience, that shows you the resilience of these players.
“Then of course there’s a lot of things being said, and I think that always affects a team a little bit as well. If you’ve been in the dressing room, you know, OK, it’s about a player with the manager or with the club, but that normally affects players a bit as well, especially because he’s so good, so, so, so influential for the club and for the players. So it’s never nice, I think, to see something happen like this to one of their team-mates.
“All the focus should be on that tonight, and I can fully understand if I go Friday again into the press conference that all questions will be about Mo, but I think these players deserve it now that we speak about them.”
Slot: Should the initiative come from me or Salah?
Slot did question whether Salah understands that he has made a mistake with his recent comments and suggested that it is up to a player to initiate a conversation with him to get back into the Liverpool team.
Slot clarified his comments in the press conference, suggesting he wasn’t hinting that Salah should make first move.
“Of course there’s a lot of things being said, and I think that always affects a team a little bit as well,” Slot said post-match to Amazon Prime.
“If you’ve been in the dressing room you know it’s about a player with the manager or with the club, but that normally affects players a bit as well, especially because he’s so good and so influential.
“It’s never nice to see something like this happen to one of your team-mates.
“Everyone makes mistakes in life, so the first thing should be, does the player think he’s made a mistake as well?
“Then the next question is, should the initiative come from me or from him? Now, that’s another question to answer. But as I said, the focus for tonight should be about, for example, Virgil [Van Dijk], because the fans are singing for him.”
