Slott need not go looking for problems as despite spending almost £450m in the summer, Liverpool have declined this season.
But the biggest shock came when Salah decided to go public with his visible anger at his treatment.
Salah uses his words carefully and strategically. At most matches since arriving at Anfield from Roma in 2017, he has declined requests to speak to waiting journalists.
This has only changed on Salah’s orders, such as when he stood outside St Mary’s near Storm Bert last November after scoring twice in a 3–2 win at Southampton and declared he was “probably more outside than inside” at Liverpool as contract talks were progressing slowly.
The impasse was resolved when he signed a two-year deal in April, with Salah marking the agreement by sitting on a throne in his Liverpool kit at the floodlit Anfield.
It was a far cry from the rancor that unfolded at Elland Road on Saturday night.
Salah is out more now than ever. And if his time at Liverpool ended on such a sour note, it would be a sad farewell.
If Salah’s words are a challenge to Liverpool and Slote, it is a battle that is far less likely to be won than last season.
It’s understandable that such a proud character would be hurt by being sent to the bench, such has been his situation at Liverpool.
Salah has scored 250 goals and won two Premier League titles, the Champions League, the FA Cup and the EFL Cup with Liverpool. In the Premier League, he has scored 188 goals and provided 88 assists.
He is third on Liverpool’s all-time record list of goalscorers, behind Ian Rush and Roger Hunt.
However, Salah has started to look his age this season. It was not the seismic shock that would have occurred once Slott dropped him to the bench for a 2–0 win over West Ham United.
Salah’s form this term has been a sharp contrast to last season, when he seemed driven by a personal mission to bring the Premier League title back to Anfield, which he duly did, scoring 34 goals in 50 starts in all competitions.