Truth be told, a daunting trip to the Etihad Stadium feels like the beginning of the end – and not just for Salah, but Slot too.
City may not be the unstoppable force they once were under Pep Guardiola, but few would bet against them beating this rather sad iteration of Liverpool for the third time this term, while Paris Saint-Germain are the heavy favourites going into the first leg of their Champions League rematch with the Reds at Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
Of course, there has been talk that Slot could survive if he manages to hold onto fifth spot in the Premier League – which is a possibility in light of how poorly sixth-placed Chelsea are playing. But Liverpool’s form is fluctuating wildly too and their fixture list is far from soft.
Slot will doubtless take encouragement out of Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike’s decisive displays during the international break – and their burgeoning partnership definitely points to a brighter future – but Salah is unquestionably the key to Liverpool’s hopes of finishing this most traumatic of campaigns with a flourish.
Having agreed a temporary truce with Slot for the good of the club, the expectation is that he’ll do everything in his waning but still considerable power to ensure that his magical spell on Merseyside ends on a high rather than with a whimper.
Even accounting for this season’s surprising slump, Salah remains the Reds’ most likely match-winner when it matters most, the biggest of Liverpool’s big-game players, and it’s well worth remembering that some of his most memorable and important goals and assists have arrived against City.
Just last year, in fact, Salah effectively won Liverpool the league at the Etihad. Rather ironically, Slot now needs the Reds’ scapegoat to save their season – and his job too.
