He is closer to Pep Guardiola in style than Klopp, meaning a bit more order – a bit less chaos – in how attacks are constructed. This might help release Salah, who operates best as the unpredictable forward bouncing off dependable team-mates.
What’s more, in Slot’s 4-2-3-1 formation, the right winger is expected to drift far infield, which will not only put Salah closer to goal but open space for Alexander-Arnold to move back into his right-side position.
Then there’s the potential in Cody Gakpo to become the measured false nine that better suits Salah than the wild Nunez, who is perhaps too similar to Salah to build a long-term partnership.
Gakpo scored nine goals and assisted 12 in just 14 league matches for PSV Eindhoven in the first half of last season, before Liverpool snapped him up in January.
Slot was Feyenoord manager at the time. He is likely to be a big admirer of his compatriot.
But whomever Slot picks to partner Salah up front next season, there is a good chance that a fresh (and calmer) tactical approach – coupled with a long-overdue rest this summer – will get Salah firing again.
There’s certainly no need to panic. Salah, a Liverpool legend with 210 goals in 346 matches in all competitions, has been out of sorts for arguably just six Premier League matches, and at most a few months of 2024.