Salah was excluded from the team list that faced Inter Milan in the Champions League, which ended with Liverpool winning 1-0, after expressing in a media interview his feeling of being “thrown under the bus” as he was blamed for the team’s decline, asserting that his relationship with Slot had “reached a breaking point.” This raised questions about Salah’s future with the team and the possibility of his return to the lineup, especially with the upcoming match against Brighton next Saturday in the league, which is his last before joining the Egyptian national team camp in preparation for the African Cup of Nations.
When Dutch football legend Clarence Seedorf expressed the opinion that the coach should take the first step, Slot responded with a smile, saying, “That’s your opinion. Everyone makes mistakes, but the question is: Does the player see that he made a mistake? And the other question: Who should start?” Slot admitted that the crisis with Salah “affected the team during a busy match period,” explaining, “The players were already exhausted after the Leeds goal in the last minutes, and what happened afterward had an impact as well. We played 4 matches in 10 days with only 13 experienced players, which shows the extent of the suffering.”
He added that “the weight of Salah’s name within the team increased the impact of his statements. Much was said in that interview, and this affects the group a little. In the dressing room, we are aware of the sensitivity of the matter, especially since he is a player who has a significant impact on the club and the team. It is not good to see such tension between a player and his teammates.”
Mohamed Salah, saying that “the titleholder holds him responsible for the current situation,” after he watched from the bench as his team drew 3-3 with Leeds United in the Premier League last Saturday. In fiery comments after the match, the 33-year-old Egyptian player attacked the club and his coach Arne Slot, hinting that he might not stay long at Anfield. Salah told reporters in the mixed zone after the match: “I am very frustrated, honestly. I have given a lot to this club, and everyone sees that over the years, especially last season.”
Salah angrily added, “I don’t know, it seems like I am a scapegoat. That’s how I felt, that’s how I feel… I think it is very clear that there are those who want to place all the blame on me… The club promised me many promises in the summer, but nothing so far.” Salah scored 34 goals and provided 18 assists in 52 matches across all competitions last season, but with his team’s stumbles, he managed to score 5 goals and provide 3 assists in 19 matches this season. Since joining Liverpool in 2017, Salah has become the club’s third top scorer behind Ian Rush and Roger Hunt, but he seems to feel that his era at “Anfield” may be nearing its end.
Salah said, “I don’t think I am the problem. I have done a lot for this club, earning the respect I aspire to, and I do not have to fight daily for my position because I have deserved it rightfully.”
