Liverpool coach Arne Slot appeared at a press conference to discuss tomorrow's match against Inter in the sixth round of the Champions League group stage, to be held at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium.

He began his remarks about what Mohamed Salah meant in his statements when he said he feels the club threw him under the bus: "The only person who can answer that is Salah himself. I don't think this is the right thing for me to do at this time. It's hard to know who he is referring to. If a player makes that many statements, then I — as a coach and as a club — have to respond, and you can see now that he is no longer with us. He has the right to feel the way he does, but he does not have the right to share that with the media — or rather, he does have the right, but then we have to deal with it."

He added regarding whether his relationship with Mohamed Salah had broken down: "We told him that he would not be traveling with us, and that was our only means of communication with him at the moment. Of course, before Saturday’s match, I spoke with him a lot… sometimes for a long time and sometimes briefly. Do you feel the relationship has broken down? That’s not how I feel. But he has the right to feel the way he does. Personally, I didn’t feel anything like that… at least not until Saturday evening, certainly when I didn’t include him in the match. Naturally, players don’t like the coach in that situation, but he was very respectful towards my staff and teammates, and he trained very hard. So, it was surprising for me to hear his comments after the match. And as I said, this is neither the first nor the last time a player makes similar statements when they don’t play."

He continued: "Will Salah be available against Brighton? We are sitting here on the eve of a very important match for us. It has only been about 36 hours since we drew 3-3 with Leeds. I have focused on preparing the team in the best possible way for the match. After tomorrow's game, we will reassess the situation. I always believe there is a possibility for any player to make a comeback."

Regarding Salah's reaction when he was told he was out of the squad for tomorrow's match: "It was a brief response."

Regarding the reason Salah was on the bench for the last three matches: "We struggled this season, and even at the end of last season, with the tactics we faced. I'm not just talking about long balls, but all the problems we encountered. I tried to find solutions, as that is my duty. We tried many things and appeared vulnerable against Nottingham Forest and PSV, so I decided to play with an extra midfielder against West Ham, and we won that match. I repeated the approach against Sunderland, and at halftime, I brought Salah on. Then, against Leeds, we faced a 5-3-2 formation, so I decided to play a 4-4-2 diamond, with Ekitike on the right, Jacbo on the left, and Vertz between the lines. I could have played Salah on the right, but I chose Ekitike."

He added, "Did Salah play his last match with Liverpool? I have no idea. I can't answer that right now. I don't feel that my authority has been undermined. That's not how I feel; it's not about me, nor whether my life as a coach has become harder... that's not important now. What matters is whether the situation has become harder for the team and the club. No one wants us to be in this state. It's difficult to see the staff members, who work very hard, affected by what's happening, especially because of the results. Yes, I am the head coach and I choose the lineup, but my focus is always on the team, not on myself."

Regarding the match against Inter: "We will face a very strong team that is performing exceptionally well this season in both the league and the Champions League. This is a team that has reached the final twice, losing once on penalties to Atlético Madrid. We know it will be a very tough encounter. I see more similarities than differences. The same system and the same expected players. Perhaps they have made some adjustments, but their pressing style is very similar to Inzaghi's."

Regarding the absence of Chiesa and Jakupović: "Chiesa is ill... the timing is bad, but there's nothing we can do. If a miracle happens and he recovers — which is unlikely — he might travel. As for Jakupović, he got injured against Leeds and will be out for weeks."

He concluded regarding the possibility of being called up by Italy for the World Cup: "This is not my decision, but I am happy that he is in better condition this season compared to before, suffers less, plays more, and delivers good moments. The decision belongs to the national team coach."