Inter Milan coach offers cold 17-word response to Liverpool’s Salah ‘problem’ as Slot gets no sympathy | OneFootball

Liverpool head to Inter Milan on Tuesday evening for an important Champions League tie, though it’ll be matters off the pitch – and the absence of Mo Salah – that will dominate the headlines.

The Reds have had a mixed time in Europe’s premier competition so far this season, enjoying impressive wins over the likes of Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt away, but then suffering poor performances and losses at home to PSV Eindhoven and away to Galatasaray.

Which Liverpool turns up at the San Siro on Tuesday evening will likely have a bearing on Slot’s future, and there is little doubt that after a wretched run of form this season that has seen them pick up just four wins in their last 15 games, the Dutchman is under significant pressure.

His cause has not been aided by an unwelcome and simmering situation involving Salah. After stunning the media by claiming there are people at Liverpool who want him gone and that he has been “thrown under the bus by the club”, the club has responded by removing the 33-year-old winger from the squad that travelled to Italy.

As a result of that fallout, we understand interested sides in Saudi Arabia are plotting a mind-blowing offer to finally tempt the Egyptian away and end a transfer chase that has been ongoing for well over two years now.

But if Slot was hoping for any sympathy from Tuesday’s opponents, Inter Milan, it has not been forthcoming, with their boss, Christian Chivu, offering a dismissive response to the situation unfolding at Anfield.

Dropping a cold 17-word response, the Romanian stated: “I don’t talk about other teams’ problems. We also have our own issues and questions to answer.”

Chivu expects tough game v Liverpool as past record is assessed

Despite their very obvious struggles this season, Chivu knows his side will have to be at their best to take anything from Liverpool and fully expects his side to face one of their toughest tests of the season.

“It’s Liverpool, one of the most decorated clubs in the world, a team with big ambitions every year, in every competition,” Chivu said.

“They won the Premier League, they started well this season, and then had a dip. But those are normal moments in a season.

“Considering what they represent as a club and as a squad… they have players who know how to read moments, who can raise their level in the games that matter, and [Tuesday] is one of those.”

The two sides will be meeting for a seventh time in their history this evening, with the most recent clash coming in the 2021/22 season, when Liverpool progressed 2-1 in their Round of 16 clash.

On that occasion, goals from Roberto Firmino and Salah secured a 2-0 win at the San Siro, and while Inter won the return leg 1-0 at Anfield, it was not enough to prevent Jurgen Klopp’s side from progressing.

That defeat at Anfield represents only the second time Liverpool have lost to the Italians, with the Reds triumphing on the other four occasions.

They first met back in 1964/65 European Cup semi-finals, with Inter overturning a 3-1 first-leg deficit to reach the final with a 3-0 win in the return leg.

Liverpool have scored eight times in those six meetings, conceding five times.

Slot not closing door on Salah; Ornstein drops truth bomb

Meanwhile, Slot is refusing to close the door on Salah returning to the Liverpool squad for this weekend’s clash against Brighton, insisting he will discuss the issue after the Inter Milan game.

The Dutchman, though, did admit to being surprised by the player’s comments, which came in the wake of his third consecutive benching following Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Leeds United.

The vast majority of Liverpool fans are taking the side of Salah following his extraordinary outburst, with many expressing why the manager should be the one to walk if it comes down to one or the other.