Jürgen Klopp’s clash with Mohamed Salah on the sidelines of the London Stadium provides a poignant illustration of the demise of his reign at Liverpool. It’s a bitter truth that power dissipates in this way.
We can only guess at the root cause of the dispute that emerged in the aftermath of Liverpool’s disappointing 2-2 deadlock with West Ham on Saturday. The equalising goal from West Ham came before Klopp, who had plans for a triple substitution, managed to bring in Salah, Darwin Núñez and Joe Gomez. Klopp showed clear irritation and reproached Salah, who retorted furiously, distinctly uninterested in absorbing any criticism.
The confrontation was intense and it was evident that Salah did not perceive Klopp as an authoritative figure. Contrary to showing any restraint, the Egyptian needed to be restrained by his two teammates. Subsequently, when making his exit from the stadium, Salah dismissed interview requests, warning that there would be “fire” should he choose to comment.
Salah’s actions monitored no diplomacy, even if his comments were meant to be light-hearted. It would’ve been favourable if Salah also ignited the pitch as much as he did the off-field comments, particularly during Liverpool’s season that has all but fizzled out.
Klopp’s departure wasn’t meant to play out this way. Following the Carabao Cup final victory, there were dreams of a quadruple for Liverpool. Yet, something seemed to shift after the team’s exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Manchester United last month. The physical and mental demands proved too overwhelming. Defensive weaknesses were laid bare during the Europa League quarter-final loss to Atalanta, the offence faltered in multiple winnable matches, and the title bid started to wane.
Salah, despite scoring 24 times in all competitions this season, has lost some of his vigour after the Africa Cup of Nations, failing to spark invigoration for his team. With the player at 32, and his contract expiring in a year, speculation is rife about his move to Saudi Arabia during the summer. Establishing whether it was Klopp or Salah’s impending departure that ignited this tension is uncertain. However, it would be regrettable to see a rupture between two of Liverpool’s most celebrated figures.
Throughout Klopp’s management, Salah has stood out, being integral in numerous celebrated victories with his offensive prowess. However, there are echoes of the 2001-02 season, when Alex Ferguson revealed his retirement from United, leading to a drop in motivation and United losing the title to Arsenal due to created uncertainty. Ferguson’s players had inadvertently been given a reason to slacken.
Fortunately, for United, Ferguson continued and paved the way for a new age of superiority. However, Klopp seems tired and ready for the season’s conclusion, and without a doubt, this impacts the team’s morale. The so-called varsity monsters have ceased to be.
Instances of defiance from Salah have occurred in the past. But none as significant as last Saturday’s, which would unlikely have transpired if Klopp had announced his stay. An employee fearing backlash would never behave this way.
But this Liverpool team is lacking focus, under the stewardship of a fatigued and discontented manager. If they had been on point, they would have triumphed over West Ham after taking a 2-1 lead. Once again, they failed mainly due to squandered opportunities and poor defending.
It’s glaring that Salah is a part of this decline. His goals, though difficult to substitute, may alleviate the load for Arne Slot, who is anticipated to fill Klopp’s shoes. This could potentially alleviate the task of controlling a player whose ego seems to have gone amok next season.
The road to recovery won’t be a walk in the park. Aside from Salah, there’s also uncertainty surrounding the future of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. However, Liverpool could learn something from Ferguson, particularly in managing disobedient players. Ferguson had a knack for identifying when a player had overstayed their welcome and wouldn’t let anyone overshadow the club. Yet, Klopp is not in a position to control Salah.
The fear has disappeared; it fizzled out during this most depressing season end. Klopp seems to have lost his guts and the most premium player has sensed this weakness. Looking ahead, Liverpool must aid Slot in implementing discipline again. Klopp may be leaving, but Salah is going too. – Guardian