Arne Slot has revealed his satisfaction at Mohamed Salah and has already been impressed with the Egyptian’s mentality and work ethic.
After a disappointing end to last season, Salah looks refreshed on the USA tour and netted the opener against Arsenal last night.
In front of a 69,879 fans at the Lincoln Financial Field, the Reds were able to record consecutive wins in their pre-season tour, with just Manchester United left before returning to the UK.
Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool an early advantage, scoring in the 13th minute after receiving a precise pass from Harvey Elliott.
Can someone please show me Arne Slotball.
Someone:pic.twitter.com/Lc00wkvJjP
— DaveOCKOP (@DaveOCKOP) August 1, 2024
Elliott later assisted Fabio Carvalho for Liverpool’s second goal, lobbing a pass over the Arsenal defense, allowing Carvalho to volley into the net.
Despite Kai Havertz reducing the deficit with a close-range finish from Martin Odegaard’s cross, Liverpool held onto their lead to secure a victory.
The second half saw Arsenal dominate possession but struggle to create clear chances. Kelleher made a crucial save from Fabio Vieira, and Gabriel missed the target from a corner.
Despite late attempts from Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel, Liverpool maintained their lead, ensuring Liverpool’s victory in Philadelphia.
And Arne Slot was full of praise for Mohamed Salah after the win.
What did Arne Slot say about Mohamed Salah?
The Dutch manager was understandably with his side’s win and performance against likely title rivals this forthcoming season.
Speaking to liverpoolfc.com after the game, Slot was quizzed on Salah’s leadership skills as one of the senior players in the pre-season squad.
Slot revealed that he has been a role model for many years now while also hailing his fitness levels:
“Yes, but I don’t think he’s only this for this season: he has been that for several years,” he said.
“He came back really fit, but from what’s been told to me that’s normal for him. He always comes back really fit.”
“But if I only use Mo as an example, I would not be fair to the other [senior] guys because the others are strong and fit as well.”
“One of the main positive things until now is all the boys are fit, we have no injuries at all, so we hope we can continue like this and their fitness levels go up and up more,” the 45-year-old explained.
“We felt today how hard it is and how tough it is to play against a team that wants to press us high – and we want to press them high.”
“So, you need to be really fit to play games like this and we are working on this. We are heading in the right direction.”
An encounter with the Red Devils at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina on August 3 rounds off the USA pre-season tour
Arne Slot’s first home game will be Liverpool taking on Sevilla at Anfield on Sunday, August 11 for a friendly before the Premier League kicks-off the following weekend.
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