Arne Slot's 14-word verdict on Mohamed Salah hits the nail on the head

Liverpool continued its preparations for the 2024/25 season with a 2-1 win over Arsenal in Philadelphia on Wednesday. All three goals occurred in the first half, and while the Gunners may have dominated the second half, they didn’t have any big chances in that period.

The Reds’ goals were scored by Mohamed Salah and Fabio Carvalho , giving Liverpool a 2-0 lead before Kai Havertz pulled one back. The real star of the show was Harvey Elliott , who assisted both strikes with a pair of sublime passes.

Head coach Arne Slot was pleased with the young midfielder’s performance but also hinted at the super high standards that he expects from his players. “Two great assists. If I am a bit hard on him there were situations when we could do better,” was his verdict on Elliott (via Lewis Steele ). Slot also had a 14-word assessment of Salah’s influence.

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The Egyptian started in his familiar position on the right of the front three. Salah had three shots, the joint most of any player on either side, along with Elliott and Gabriel Jesus.

He made a fast start to the game too, with his trio of efforts all occurring in the opening 13 minutes of the contest. While he may not have had another attempt during his remaining 59 minutes, Salah had done enough to ensure he topped the shots on target standings. His two matched the total Arsenal offered.

We shouldn’t be surprised that Salah started the game so positively. He has clearly kept himself in fantastic shape during the off-season. The 32-year-old also created two chances – only Elliott (four) delivered more – while Havertz was the only man on either side to match his total of seven touches in the opposition box. He truly led by example.

In his post-match press conference, Slot was asked if Salah had been a role model for the younger members of the squad in pre-season. His response was emphatic: “Mo has been a role model for several years. He came back really fit.”

There’s no arguing with that. Both points Slot made could prove hugely important in the forthcoming campaign too. The last season which followed a summer featuring a European Championship and Copa America was 2021/22. Having had no international tournament following the end of the previous campaign, Salah came back well-rested. He was electric in the new season, arguably the best player in the world. There might be a few more miles on the clock this time around, but having kept himself in great shape, a fast start to 2024/25 from the Egyptian King would not be a surprise.

Liverpool.com says: Slot was right to highlight Salah's importance as a long-term role model. The Egyptian might have reached veteran status but write him off at your peril.