Almost 48 hours after Salah spoke, this was Arne Slot’s chance to say his piece.
Monday was a public holiday in Milan but the media conference room inside the San Siro was still packed. It is hard to think of a more anticipated pre-match media conference in recent times.
Slot used his humour to start off by joking with a reporter that he asked five questions in one, but minute by minute, details began to emerge and it was clear to see who was in charge.
When BBC Sport asked him whether he understood Salah’s comments when the Egyptian said he was “thrown under the bus”, Slot said: “Usually I’m calm, I’m polite but I’m not weak. If a player has these comments about so many things, then it’s up to me and the club to react. We reacted in a way you can see because he’s not here.”
This was Slot on the front foot and he was backed later by goalkeeper Alisson, who insisted that the Liverpool squad are firmly behind the manager who won the Premier League.
That backing from a senior player was crucial on a night where Slot was asked if he felt his authority was undermined by the whole saga.
Slot categorically denied he felt that way, even if he was surprised when he heard the quotes on Saturday night.
The Liverpool coach did not delve too much into the specifics, insisting that his conversation with Salah was short, but he said enough to explain the situation without inflaming it any further.
And, importantly, the door is still open for Salah even though Slot said he had “no clue” whether the 33-year-old has played his last game for the club.
The club insist this was mainly because of Salah bringing his own future into question. Their position is that Salah still has a contract and as Slot said, he is a “firm believer” in the possibility for a player to return.
After 10 minutes of questions solely focused on Salah, the Liverpool media officer, sat next to Slot, was adamant it was time to move on to questions about the game itself.
Ultimately though, regardless of how Liverpool fare tomorrow against Inter Milan, this is a story that will continue to dominate the agenda until there is a clear resolution.
