Jurgen Klopp and Mo Salah had a furious exchange on the touchline during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with West Ham – and a number of former stars have offered their take on the argument
You know things are going wrong at Liverpool when Mo Salah is angrily arguing with boss Jurgen Klopp.
The pair have been two of the defining figures of the glory years under the German boss. But things appeared to go awry in the 2-2 draw with West Ham at the London Stadium.
As Salah prepared to come on as a substitute, he and Klopp had some angry words – with Darwin Nunez acting as peacemaker. Klopp allayed fears of a falling out after revealing that they had talked things over in the dressing room but Salah claimed there would be “fire” had he spoken to journalists.
Here, Mirror Football takes a look at the standout responses on the saga, with Alan Shearer and Jamie Carragher among those to publicly comment on the falling out.
‘It’s a shame’
Alan Shearer was one of the first to speak out on the incident. The ex-Newcastle star believes that Salah was right to have complaints after being left on the bench.
Speaking on Match of the Day, he said: “We don’t know what Klopp has said to him there, he’s said something that has riled him. He’s obviously got the right hump with being left out and probably rightly so. Even though he hasn’t hit the heights that Mo Salah has done over the years, he’s been unbelievable.
“Ignores Jurgen, gives the Liverpool fans a little round of applause and goes straight down the tunnel but we’re guessing as to what Jurgen said to him. I understand if Mo has got the right hump because the number of times he’s been Liverpool’s saviour and Liverpool’s superstar.
“He’s got 17 in 25 league starts. Anyone else you’d look at that and think that was unbelievable. It’s a shame it’s going to end like that.”
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‘The only reason…’
Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher had a slightly different take on things. He claimed that Salah could have actually had been to blame for the argument.
Writing on social media, he said: “The only reason a manager would be unhappy in this situation, is the player took too long to be ready to come on.”
‘It didn’t look good’
Another former Red, Peter Crouch, also gave his thoughts on the incident. He agreed with Shearer in suggesting that the Egyptian’s complaints came from the fact he was benched against West Ham.
He said: “It didn’t look good. I can’t say exactly what they’re saying, it didn’t look good, I don’t think it looks good for the club.
“Listen Mo Salah is a player who starts the majority of games for Liverpool, he’ll be fuming. He’ll be fuming to be on the bench. Players like that who are expected to start are never happy, but no-one likes to see this, between a manager and a real key player.”
‘Behind closed doors’
Crouch’s TNT Sports colleague Ally McCoist wasn’t too sure on what the argument was about but was worried that it took place in view of supporters.
He said: “Not good at all. Particularly when you see Mo Salah coming back for another bite and one of his team-mates has to intervene. It does not look good, that kind of stuff should be behind closed doors.”
‘Clash of egos’
Former Liverpool left-back Stephen Warnock suggested the same and is concerned over how the pair’s relationship could be affected going forwards. He added: “It is not good to see at all.
“You have two people who are equally important to the football club. The connection between the two has to be of respect and respect how they have helped each other’s careers. With Mo Salah being pushed out a little bit he doesn’t like that. It is a clash of egos.”
‘It’s been coming’
Amid that concern, former Premier League star Gabby Agbonlahor has suggested that Salah could now angle for a move away after his falling out with Klopp. Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “I think it’s been coming from Salah. Salah’s not a sub, mate. You can put Salah on the bench if you’re doing rotation. But Salah has scored 210 goals and 86 assists for Liverpool.
“In a game against West Ham, a tough game, you don’t give him 12 minutes mate. He’s probably saying on the sideline ‘12 minutes? Come on, I’m Mo Salah, you wouldn’t have won a trophy without me, Jurgen’.
“They wouldn’t have won a trophy without Salah. Salah has been unbelievable for that football club. Where’s the respect? And is Jurgen Klopp now causing problems for Liverpool’s squad next season by upsetting players?
“There is talk of Salah leaving. Could this affect Salah now? You need to win a game in a title challenge, and you are giving your star player 12 minutes, so you can’t blame him on the sideline. I think Klopp’s got that wrong, disrespecting Salah.”
‘I don’t see’
Clinton Morrison also backed calls that Salah could look to quit Anfield ahead of next season. “He’s not in brilliant form at the moment, I was at the Merseyside derby – he missed some big chances,” he said. “Salah’s still got those numbers.
“The reason you’re noticing it now is because the other two are not scoring. Before, when he had Bobby Firmino and Mane, it’s alright. These two, Diaz and Nunez, are missing big chances and everything gets put on Mohamed Salah.
“So that exchange, it didn’t look good. We don’t know what was said. It’s disappointing he’s not playing. Even if they had a slight chance against West Ham, you need your best players on the pitch. So that’s frustrating.
“You know what though, me personally, I don’t see Salah being at Liverpool next season.”
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
