There's something deeply uncomfortable about watching a manager's authority questioned so publicly, yet that's exactly where Liverpool find themselves as Mohamed Salah prepares for what's expected to be his 442nd and final appearance in red.

Peter Crouch has laid bare the reality of modern football's power dynamics, suggesting Arne Slot will be seething privately over Salah's latest social media outburst but won't dare act on those feelings when Keith Andrews's Brentford visit on Sunday.

The Egyptian's statement last week cut deep. "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," he wrote, in what was widely interpreted as another public dig at Slot's methods following the 4-2 capitulation at Aston Villa.

Crouch, who tasted FA Cup glory with Liverpool two decades ago, didn't mince his words about the situation. "If I'm Arne Slot, I'd have a serious word with him," the former England striker told Paddy Power. "I don't know if I could start him. I'd be angry at the comments for sure."

But here's where it gets uncomfortable for anyone who believes in proper football hierarchy. Crouch immediately acknowledged the brutal truth that many won't say out loud: "With regards to Mo Salah, he carries more weight [at the club] even though Slot won a Premier League in his first season."

It's a damning indictment of where Liverpool find themselves. A manager who delivered the title in his debut campaign still doesn't command the respect of his biggest star, and everyone knows it.

The former striker painted the picture starkly: "Deep down Arne Slot will feel disrespected by Mo Salah's comments and want to drop him. Unfortunately, this is where the conversation comes in where people debate whether the player is bigger than the manager at the time."

Crouch's assessment was brutally honest about the power balance. "In this case, it would be just to say Mo Salah would definitely have more backing than Arne Slot at the moment."

That's the crux of Liverpool's problem right there. When a player can publicly undermine tactical decisions and know he's untouchable, what message does that send to the rest of the squad? What authority does the manager actually wield?

The timing makes it even more complex. Liverpool need to avoid defeat against Brentford to secure Champions League football, and Salah remains their most potent attacking threat despite his public dissent. It's the perfect storm of sporting necessity meeting disciplinary principle.

Crouch acknowledged the impossible position Slot finds himself in: "The fans and probably everyone around the club are expecting Mo Salah to start in his last game. It would be a massive call if he didn't start. Maybe something that's more political than tactical."

Politics over tactics. Player power over managerial authority. It's everything that's wrong with modern football distilled into one impossible decision.

The former striker didn't hold back in his praise for Salah's standing at the club: "A player of immense calibre around the place. He's right up there with Gerrard, Souness, Hansen, and Dalglish. To drop him for the last game would be an unbelievably big call."

That comparison tells you everything about why Slot's hands are tied. When you're dealing with a player of that stature, normal rules don't apply. The Egyptian has earned legendary status at Anfield, and everyone knows it.

But there's something deeply troubling about a situation where tactical criticism becomes acceptable public discourse from players. Gerrard, for all his passion, never took to social media to question Rafa Benitez's methods. The game has changed, and not necessarily for the better.

Sunday's match against Brentford will be fascinating for all the wrong reasons. Will Slot show he's got the spine to make the big call, or will player power win the day once again? The smart money suggests we already know the answer to that question.

What happens next will define not just how Salah's Liverpool story ends, but what kind of authority Slot truly commands as this chapter closes and another begins.