Mohamed Salah has once again aired his grievances with Liverpool manager Arne Slot after the Reds lost 4-2 to Aston Villa, with Jamie Carragher and John Arne Riise joining the chorus of criticism
Mohamed Salah finds himself in the eye of a new storm as Liverpool gear up for their final match against Brentford. The Reds are still reeling from a second defeat in three Premier League matches and have been without a victory for nearly a month.
Arne Slot’s second season at Anfield has fallen short of the high hopes set by his title-winning debut last year. The club, having spent over £400million last summer, was expected to perform exceptionally but instead fell dramatically short.
Salah could yet provide a farewell gift to his nine-year club by aiding in securing a victorious end in his last game for the team. However, his recent outburst has ruffled some feathers among pundits as Mirror Football delves into Wednesday’s Liverpool headlines, reports the Mirror.
After previously claiming he’d been “thrown under the bus” by Slot in December, Salah has once again taken a swipe at his boss. The Egyptian was only brought on for the final 15 minutes or so as Liverpool suffered a 4-2 defeat away to Aston Villa.
However, it was Salah’s social media commentary post-match that drew flak. He began by labelling the latest loss as “very painful”, before lauding Jurgen Klopp’s “heavy metal” football, seemingly a subtle jab at the current style of play fans are witnessing under Slot.
“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 continued. “That is the football I know how to play and that is the identity that needs to be recovered and kept for good. It cannot be negotiable and everyone that joins this club should adapt to it.”
Salah then stated that qualifying for the Champions League next season is the “bare minimum.” However, one can understand why some supporters might question whether Salah realises how his comments could potentially hinder that objective.
Jamie Carragher was critical of the club legend following his outburst in December after he was benched for the 3-3 draw against Leeds. He once again targeted his fellow Kop icon, suggesting the timing of his “selfish” comments was dreadful given the race for Champions League qualification.
“I’m not surprised,” said Carragher on Sky Sports. “I told everybody, ‘Something else will come before the end of the season. He’ll drop another bomb a little bit like Ronaldo did on the way out of Manchester United.’ I thought it may come after the end of the season when he’d moved on, but no.
“Less than two years ago, I called him selfish for doing an interview and I think that rings true again. Liverpool have a really important week. They are still not fully qualified for the Champions League and it should be about Liverpool FC, not Salah FC. It’s vital that Liverpool make the Champions League positions, but I’m not surprised and it’s not a good look at all.”
Another member of the 2005 Champions League-winning squad to add his voice to the chorus of disapproval was John Arne Riise. The former left-back echoed Carragher’s sentiments and expressed his annoyance that Salah couldn’t suppress his personal grievance for just one more week.
Riise, who was absent from the Istanbul final 21 years ago, agreed that the outgoing winger should have kept quiet. Nevertheless, he insisted no individual is greater than Liverpool, despite Salah’s apparent determination to voice his complaints about the manager.
“It annoys me that Mohamed Salah couldn’t at least wait until the season was finished before saying those things,” Riise told Bet Victor Online Casino. “Everyone knows he’s leaving, so why not just keep those opinions to yourself until the end? Or why say them at all?
“I’ve read what Wayne Rooney said and what Jamie Carragher said, and honestly, I understand why people are reacting the way they are…I’ve met Mo Salah a few times and I’ve always seen him as a lovely person: smiley, friendly, respectful and someone who looks after people.
“That’s why I can’t really understand these comments. It almost feels like a different person writing them. If it’s a PR team advising him to do these things and make his name bigger than the club, then that’s wrong because Liverpool Football Club will always be bigger than any player. Always.”
The Norwegian then responded to Rooney’s assertion that Salah won’t start against Brentford following his outburst. Many would anticipate the Anfield legend to be given a starting send-off in his final match, but Riise thinks he’ll remain on the bench.
“To be honest, I agree with Rooney on that point,” he continued. “I don’t understand why Arne Slot would allow a player to publicly criticise the team and then still give him a big send-off in the final game.
“Why would the manager reward that behaviour after the things that have been said? I would genuinely be surprised if Mohamed Salah starts the final game.”
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