“His act seems selfish and disrespectful. He let the club down.”, — write: football.ua
His act seems selfish and disrespectful. He let the club down.
“If I speak, there will be a fire” he said without pause after a verbal altercation with Jurgen Klopp on the sidelines during a match against West Ham in London in April 2024.
But on Saturday night, when the Egyptian forward emerged from the visitors’ changing room at Elland Road and headed straight for the press, it became clear: this time he was not going to keep quiet. Salah stopped by and had something to share. In more than eight years at Liverpool, he has never spent so much time with the British media.
It all looked planned, and his words flowed like real fire.
He revealed that he felt he had been framed by the club, that promises made to him when he signed a new two-year contract in April had been broken and that he had become the scapegoat for the team’s problems this season.
Without even being asked about Arne Slot, Salah himself spoke of a complete rift with the Dutch manager and revealed he had asked his parents to come to next Saturday’s game against Brighton, admitting it could be his farewell at Anfield as “someone doesn’t want to see me at the club”. He left the door open for a possible transfer as early as January. His words were a real bomb.
It wasn’t just an angry tirade. The third top scorer in the club’s history remained calm and collected throughout the performance. “thanks guys” he said at the end of an incredible seven and a half minutes.
But when Salah left, he left behind a real flame.
As if the Premier League champions’ problems weren’t enough after a miserable eight points from a possible last thirty, now the club is in a veritable “civil war” between one of the greatest players in Liverpool’s history and a manager who is fighting for his place after an alarming slump in results.
Salah’s frustration and resentment are understandable. After a run of 53 consecutive Premier League starts spanning 19 months, he has missed the last three matches. He did not start in the dramatic 3-3 draw against Leeds, was overlooked for the match against West Ham last Sunday and only got 45 minutes after coming on as a substitute at home to Sunderland in midweek.
His pride is seriously hurt, and it’s understandable why he feels unfairly singled out. He is the only player to start in the humiliating home defeats to Nottingham Forest and PSV, only to end up on the bench.
Salah is forced to watch Ibrahim Konate’s mistakes and wonder why he is treated differently. The same goes for Cody Gakpo, who is regularly underperforming on the left wing but has strangely remained in the squad.
But even this does not justify Salah’s decision to “explode” publicly.
He understands perfectly well the resonance of his words and to blurt them out after the humiliating spectacle of Liverpool blowing 2-0 and 3-2 leads at Elland Road was selfish and disrespectful. This only adds negativity to the club at an already difficult time.
Given that he is off to the African Cup of Nations next weekend, would it be so difficult to be patient a little more instead of putting all the problems on display?
Salah’s comments also showed a lack of self-criticism about his form this season. “I don’t know why this is happening to me” he said. “I’ve done so much for this club. I don’t have to prove my place every day – I’ve earned it.”
But it doesn’t work like that. A place has to be constantly reasserted and the reality is that when Slott left Salah out of the squad at West Ham, few doubted the manager. The reason is simple: Salah has been ineffective with just five goals and three assists in 19 appearances in all competitions.
Much more often he remained on the periphery of matches. His attacks did not pose a serious threat and opponents repeatedly exploited the space behind him as Salah did not drop back to help the right-back in defence.
Last season, he produced one of the brightest individual campaigns in the history of English football – 34 goals and 23 assists. Salah is a true Anfield icon, rewriting club records since joining from Roma in 2017, but that doesn’t give him a “free ticket”. Especially when you’re earning over £400,000 a week plus bonuses.
He has lost his form, and at 33, time seems to have caught up with him.
The changes in the team’s play are not impressive, but the fact is that Liverpool generally look better without Salah in the squad, with one win and two draws after a run of three defeats.
The last time Salah gave an interview to the British media was a little over a year ago, awaiting the offer of a new contract. The outburst was then designed to put more pressure on Liverpool to speed up talks, and it ended up getting its way.
Can Fenway Sports Group football CEO Michael Edwards and Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes negotiate a peace? Will Salah fly to Milan on Monday for the next Champions League match or will he be sidelined?
If there is no compromise, either Salah or Slot will have to leave. Given the coach’s continued support from the owners, it’s hard to imagine them siding with a player who has looked weak of late.
Perhaps a move to the Saudi Premier League in January will suit everyone. But how quickly everything fell apart after the title celebration in the spring…
If this is indeed the end for Salah after 250 goals in 420 appearances for Liverpool, it is a sad and bitter end for such a legend.
The Athletic