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Florian Wirtz said he and his Liverpool teammates felt comfortable publicly 'liking' Mohamed Salah's "honest" social media post about the club's playing style under Arne Slot, arguing that it wasn't a personal attack on anyone.
Following Liverpool's embarrassing 4–2 defeat to Aston Villa last Friday, Salah published a bold statement across several platforms calling for a return to the "heavy metal" football that Jürgen Klopp had made the club's trademark. Though Slot was never directly mentioned, many interpreted the post as a veiled criticism of the Dutchman, who has sought to implement a more controlled approach since taking charge in 2024.
"I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear and back to being a team that wins trophies," Salah wrote. "That is the football I know how to play and that is the identity that needs to be recovered and kept for good. It cannot be negotiable and everyone that joins this club should adapt to it."
Slot's reluctance to share his thoughts on the post said plenty—as did his firm refusal to confirm whether Salah would feature in Liverpool's final league match against Brentford on Sunday. Wirtz, however, took a far more measured view of his teammate's words.
"Mo has known the club for a long time now," Wirtz told The Athletic. "He's just an honest guy. He says what he thinks. This should be O.K. If you want to speak, you should be able to speak. Of course, it was a bit of a difficult season for all of us, including Mo. In my opinion, it got made bigger than it was. I don't think he attacked anyone."
Mohamed Salah (2017/18) pic.twitter.com/LMXo4HMzpl
When asked why so many Liverpool players—Wirtz included—were seen publicly 'liking' Salah's Instagram post, the German midfielder responded: "With the 'likes' players gave, I think it was made too big. For me, it was just a thing that he wanted to say because he's leaving. He wanted to make everyone in the club alert that we have to work more and do better.
"We are all anything but happy with this season. I think we can still make a little bit out of it by qualifying for the Champions League on Sunday. We have to do that. Then in the summer, we need to clear our heads and attack next season, because we have a very good squad and we can do much better."
"The outside world is always trying to create something between the team and the manager," Wirtz added. "But it's totally different in this building. We are working well every day with this manager and his staff. There is no thought about not being behind the manager. This is just something [talked about] on the outside."
Liverpool Show Clearest Sign Yet of Arne Slot Backing
Wirtz has a point in that the media have continually speculated about Slot's future at Liverpool. Yet every credible report concerning the Dutchman's standing on Merseyside has reached the same verdict: he isn't going anywhere.
The general consensus is that Slot's Premier League title win just a year ago cannot be erased by what has been an undeniably difficult second campaign. As many have noted, there are numerous mitigating factors behind Liverpool's dramatic decline, most notably the immeasurable impact of tragically losing beloved squad member Diogo Jota during the summer.
If the widespread reports weren't persuasive enough, Liverpool are set to make another strong show of confidence in Slot by bringing in his trusted former set-piece coach Etiënne Reijnen. The Telegraph reports that the specialist has already informed colleagues at Feyenoord that he will be joining Slot at Anfield ahead of the 2026–27 season.
Reijnen played alongside Slot at PEC Zwolle and was part of his coaching staff during his final season at Feyenoord. Klopp's successor at Liverpool reportedly wanted to bring Reijnen with him when he first arrived on Merseyside, but visa complications prevented it from happening.
Feyenoord have excelled at set-piece situations under Reijnen's guidance. Over his three seasons in Rotterdam, his side conceded just 17 goals from dead-ball situations—the best record in the entire division. Only PSV Eindhoven scored more from such scenarios during the same period.
Without Reijnen alongside him, Slot's Liverpool have struggled significantly from set pieces. While the team's attacking output improved following the mid-season departure of coach Aaron Briggs, the defending champions' defensive record has been historically poor. Liverpool have conceded an unmatched 20 set-piece goals in the Premier League this season.
Reijnen's arrival serves a dual purpose: fixing that obvious weakness while simultaneously reinforcing Slot's unassailable standing within Liverpool's leadership.