Mohamed Salah is on his way out of Anfield, but he has made sure the exit is anything but quiet. A pointed social media post on Saturday, in which the Egyptian criticised Liverpool's direction under Arne Slot, has placed the besieged head coach in one of the most uncomfortable spots of his tenure — and with a season-defining fixture still to play.

The precedent is clear, but the stakes are higher

Slot's preferred response is not hard to read. Back in December, when Salah gave an incendiary interview on the eve of Liverpool's Champions League trip to Inter Milan, the head coach left him at home as a direct punishment. Message sent, authority asserted. The question now is whether he can afford to do the same thing again.

The noises out of the Liverpool camp suggest he almost certainly cannot. Sunday's final-day visit of Brentford is not a ceremonial send-off — it is a straight fight for Champions League qualification. Liverpool have failed to win any of the nine league matches in 2026 in which Salah has not started. Dropping him for disciplinary reasons, however justified, carries a sporting risk Slot can ill afford to take.

A squad that has broken ranks

What makes Saturday's post more damaging than a simple farewell swipe is the reaction it received. Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Andy Robertson were among those to publicly signal their support for Salah's sentiments. That is a significant portion of the dressing room appearing to align with a departing player over a sitting head coach, and it has given the distinct impression of a civil war simmering beneath the surface at Anfield.

Several of last summer's signings also added their voices, a development that will do nothing to ease the pressure on Slot. Liverpool's recruitment in the close season has been widely judged as underwhelming, and seeing those players publicly reinforce the criticism only compounds the sense that the club's season has unravelled from the inside as much as on the pitch.

A campaign built on a crumbling foundation

The numbers tell a grim story. Liverpool have suffered 19 defeats, with all of them arriving in the last 48 matches. They have conceded 52 Premier League goals in a 38-game season — the most in that format under Slot's watch. Friday's 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa, in which the home side cut through Liverpool's structure with disturbing ease, underlined defensive frailties that have persisted all season regardless of the injury situation.

It is that backdrop which has made the general public so willing to side with Salah. The forward is hugely popular; the head coach is increasingly not. When a popular player levels criticism at an unpopular manager, the court of public opinion tends to move quickly.

Business logic may force Slot's hand

Regardless of the personal dimension, Liverpool's commercial and sporting interests point firmly towards Salah playing against Brentford. A top-five finish secures Champions League football, which is central to the club's entire business model and its ability to attract players in the summer window. That objective outweighs any need to make a disciplinary point about a player who will be gone within weeks.

Should Manchester City beat Bournemouth on Tuesday evening and effectively confirm Liverpool's Champions League place through results elsewhere, the stakes on Sunday are lowered considerably. In that scenario, the afternoon becomes more about marking the careers of Salah and Robertson — and poisoning that mood to exercise a degree of authority over someone already heading for the exit door would be a strange hill for Slot to choose.

Salah may have legitimate concerns about Liverpool's direction, and his desire to see the club succeed may be entirely genuine. But attempting to destabilise another man's grip on his job while departing on a free transfer — a concession Liverpool agreed to despite him being under contract for another year, a decision Slot was reportedly part of — is a sharp way to go. Sunday's final whistle cannot come quickly enough for everyone involved.

Frequently asked

Why did Arne Slot drop Mohamed Salah earlier this season?
Slot left Salah out of Liverpool's Champions League trip to Inter Milan in December after the forward gave a controversial interview before the match at Leeds, which the manager viewed as an attempt to undermine him.
What does Liverpool need from the final day to qualify for the Champions League?
As things stand, Liverpool need to beat Brentford on the final day to secure a top-five Premier League finish and guarantee Champions League football next season, though results elsewhere could confirm their place beforehand.
When does Mohamed Salah leave Liverpool?
Salah is set to leave Liverpool on a free transfer this summer. Despite being under contract for a further 12 months, the club agreed to let him depart without a fee at the end of the 2025-26 season.