Mohamed Salah’s explosive comments yesterday sent shockwaves across Merseyside as the King of Egypt publicly urged a change of identity at Anfield, despite the very real risk of missing his final game in a Liverpool shirt.
After the Reds’ 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa on Friday night, Salah posted a scathing message on social media that was widely interpreted as a criticism of manager Arne Slott.
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In it, he called for Liverpool to return to being a “heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear”, a clear reminder of the Jurgen Klopp era, and called for the club’s attacking identity to be “recovered and retained forever”.
Liverpool players past and present back Mohamed Salah’s statement
The most striking impact from Salah’s post may not be the words themselves, but who rallied behind them.
A staggering 17 Liverpool players, past and present, reportedly liked Salah’s Instagram post, raising further questions about dressing room morale under Slott.
Current Liverpool stars Dominik Szoboszlai, Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, Wataru Endo, Ryan Gravenbirch, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Jeremy Frimpong were among those who publicly expressed support.
Former Liverpool players also responded to the post, including Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adrian, Luis Diaz and former vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Responses from Curtis Jones and Hugo Ekitike, who responded with applause and handshake emojis respectively, only fueled speculation that Salah’s displeasure is shared by sections of the current squad.
Liverpool currently sit fifth in the Premier League and are battling to qualify for the Champions League in the final days, but the public outcry has raised fresh concerns about whether Slott still maintains the confidence of the dressing room.
Steven Gerrard responds to Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool message
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard also weighed in on Salah’s comments, suggesting the post could be a sign of deeper problems behind the scenes at Anfield.
Gerrard told TNT Sport:
“Wow. Listen, that’s very interesting. Mo Salah doesn’t really talk much, he doesn’t tweet, and he certainly doesn’t tweet like that.”
“So I think he’s sending a message to the outside world that things are not right in the Liverpool dressing room. Identity has been lost and it’s really hurtful for him to see that in front of his eyes.”
Gerrard’s comments are likely to bring further scrutiny to Slott’s position as Liverpool enter a crucial summer following a turbulent season.
Slott’s time at the club could be coming to an end, with several team-mates rallying behind Salah.
