Salah Interview – Mo or Slot, ‘one of them has got to go’

MaTaZ ArIsInG
Dallas, Texas

‘One of them has to go’ – Liverpool fans react to Salah interview

Mohamed Salah set off a storm at Liverpool with his explosive interview delivered across the M62 at Leeds on Saturday night.

So how were Reds fans feeling as they reflected on events a day later?

We headed to a grey, wet and windy Anfield to find out.

‘I’m hoping it was the heat of the moment – if not, he’s out of order’

In these parts, you don’t need to tell anyone how much the Egyptian has done for this club since joining in 2016. It was Salah’s image, front and centre outside the Kop, that was in the background as we spoke to fans.

Around this time last year, a banner appeared on the Kop with an image of Salah and the words: “FSG. He fires a bow, now give Mo his dough!”

Come April, Salah was sitting on a throne inside Anfield to mark his new contract and just over two weeks later the club won the Premier League title.

But eight months later, the the 33-year-old has found himself out of the starting 11 and has now pitched himself in a civil war with the club and head coach Arne Slot.

“I don’t have to go every day fighting for my position because I earned it. I am not bigger than anyone but I earned my position,” Salah insisted on Saturday.

For fans at Anfield, this comment was a focus of attention.

“I’m hoping it was the heat of the moment but if it’s not, he’s out of order,” said Steve Hughes, 48.

“You can’t say that the position is mine because of what I’ve done for the club.

“It’s sad because we absolutely love him.

“He was going to go down as one of the greatest players to ever play for this football club – up with the likes of Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush.”

‘Between him and Slot… I think one of them has to go’

Salah’s decision to go public with his feelings towards the club and Slot after a match in which he didn’t play as the team dropped points left fans we spoke to disappointed.

It would be too much to say he has ruined his legacy even though the signs of damage were clear.

“As great a player as he is, you can’t say [what he said] ever. You’ve got to earn the right to play in that position every single game,” said another.

“There’s obviously a distraction between him and Slot so I think one of them has to go.”

Yet a handful defended Salah for expressing his opinions and chose to blame Slot.

“They’ve made him the scapegoat,” said another fan. “I wouldn’t imagine [he plays for Liverpool again].

“He’s definitely on the downward spiral but I’d rather have Mo than Slot.”

To dig deeper into Salah’s frustration, it is worth noting that he said he could not believe he had been benched for three games in a row.

For a man renowned for such high standards, the past week has undoubtedly been testing.

In his defence, any talk that Liverpool were defensively better without him was shown to be questionable by the fact they conceded three against Leeds.

But without Salah, Liverpool have been unbeaten in their last three and stopped their run of defeats with a win and two draws.

Outside Anfield, the stadium and museum tours went on, elements of business as usual.

Five miles up the road in Kirkby, it was a recovery day for the players at the AXA Training Centre – the venue where Slot told Salah in a meeting on Friday that he would not be starting.

On Monday, Liverpool will train there before heading to Milan for Tuesday’s Champions League tie against Inter.

The first question is whether Salah will be at training and, if he is, whether he makes the travelling squad that will then fly from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Milan Malpensa.

On the streets surrounding Anfield which are filled with murals of legends past and present, there is one paying tribute to Salah, featuring two of his iconic celebrations.

It’s hard to fathom that the ‘Egyptian King’ may never celebrate a goal for Liverpool again.

He is third on Liverpool’s all-time list of goalscorers with 250, behind only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt.

Salah insisted to reporters at Elland Road that he would say goodbye to the fans at Anfield on Saturday when Liverpool welcome Brighton.

But right now, that remains up in the air.

He is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday 15 December, with Egypt’s first game a week later.

There is a lot to sort out over the next week before that departure date.

As one fan kindly told us when asked if he would speak about the Salah situation: “No, I’ve had plenty of nightmares already.”

BBC SPORT

---

1SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER NOW

Email address:

Leave this field empty if you're human:

---

Support MATAZ ARISING’ journalism of integrity and credibility.

Good journalism ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

We ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

TEXT AD: To advertise here – Email ad@matazarising.com

LATEST POSTS