Tony Pulis says the dispute between Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot should be seen through one lens: responsibility to the club. He believes both the manager and the player are paid to put Liverpool first, not their personal feelings. If Salah is on the bench, Pulis says it is simply because Slot thinks someone else fits his best XI. In his words, a team works only when “one singer, one song” leads the group. For Salah, Pulis says, there is also a reminder in the stands — greats like Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish also reached a point where Liverpool moved forward without them. He hopes any tension fades, allowing fans to remember Salah for his years of brilliance.
Learning To Manage People, Not Just Players
Pulis says dealing with unhappy players is one of the many challenges a manager faces. Coaching in all four divisions gave him room to learn, make mistakes and understand people. Early years in the lower leagues helped him build his own way of managing pressure, personalities and the growing media glare. As he moved up, he learned how to bring different characters together and understood the value of spending one-to-one time with each player.
What Makes A Team Tick
He believes a team’s style must match the players’ strengths. But the real job is finding what motivates each individual. Some players are nervous. Some are too confident. Some face problems away from football — gambling issues, family struggles and difficult childhoods. Pulis says helping them through those moments built trust and often revived careers. At Stoke, that bond was visible. Players stayed back after training, talked, joked and enjoyed being together. Even those not playing felt part of something big.
Mistakes, Lessons And Strange Solutions
Pulis also admits he got things wrong. He remembers trying to protect a new signing by ensuring he won the man-of-the-match award during a poor run. The player eventually begged him to stop. Pulis refused — and the player later became a fan favourite, sold for double the fee paid. He jokes that by then the club should already have had a psychologist.
The Importance Of Strong Characters
The teams he rates most had powerful personalities through the spine. He relied heavily on his captain to share dressing-room concerns directly. Pulis didn’t believe in committees, but he always listened to the people around him — coaches, staff, and even the kit team. He recalls Winnie and John at Stoke as key figures who gave him honest information, loyalty, and the occasional scolding.
Are The Top Teams Better Today?
Reflecting on last week’s debate about the Premier League’s quality, Pulis now asks fans of the traditional top six a direct question: are Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United or Tottenham stronger today than they were 10 or 20 years ago?
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