Anyone looking for more pain and misery after Saturday’s clown show against Leeds United where the Reds once again threw away a 2-0 lead late in the game to drop two points and limp to another draw? Well, you’re in luck, because after the game, Mohamed Salah made the bombshell claim that next week’s match against Brighton may be his last with the club.
Salah has been on the bench for several matches. As an explanation, Arne Slot said: “It’s never an easy decision because we all know what a great player he is. But it is also up to me to pick the team that I think we need today. That’s why I made the decision.”
This is, to put it mildly, a tough sell for Liverpool fans, and also to Salah himself. After the match, the Egyptian legend responded to the team’s result against Leeds United in a way that sent chills down the spines of every fan watching.
It was a damning indictment on the current state of the club overall and his relationship with the manager.
“I don’t know what to say,” Salah said. “It’s kind of funny, I couldn’t believe it. It’s a disappointing result for us as a team. We conceded silly goals. I could not help my team-mates because I am on the bench.
”I could not believe I was sitting on the bench for 90 minutes. That’s the third time. It’s the first time in my career I think. I am very disappointed, I have done so much for this club over years, especially last season, It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus.
”That’s how I feel it. Someone wants me to get all the blame. The club promised me a lot in summer. Now I’m on bench so I can say they haven’t kept those promises.
”I used to have a good relationship (with Slot). Now we don’t have any relationship and I don’t know why. Seems like someone does not want me in the club. I called my mum and dad and told them to come to the Brighton game.
”It doesn’t matter if I play or not. I’m going to enjoy it. I am just going to be at Anfield and say goodbye to the fans before the African Cup of Nations, because I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there.
”It’s not acceptable to me, to be fair. If I was somewhere else, every club would protect its players. Now it’s: ‘Throw Mo under the bus because he is a problem in a team’.
“I don’t think I am a problem. I am not fighting for my position every day because I have earned it. I am not bigger than the club. I am not bigger than anything. But I have earned it.”
Salah here understands a fundamental truth: he is not bigger than the club. No player is. But he is a hell of a lot bigger than Arne Slot. If this statement doesn’t shake the foundations of this club and lead to FSG taking action, then there is more going wrong than even we know.
After seven glorious years with Jürgen Klopp, player unrest with a manager feels foreign and gross. The vibes are off, the joy is gone, and something has to change.
Jump in the comments and tell us how you feel about what is surely an ultimatum from Salah.
