There was much surprise this evening when Jurgen Klopp decided to take Mo Salah off with Liverpool 1-0 down v Chelsea.
He hadn’t been great, but better than Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino – both of who endured dire first hours of the game.
But according to journalist Matt Critchley, reporting from Anfield, the Egyptian had not sufficiently tracked back five minutes previous and paid the price – with Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders immediately annoyed by his failure to help out.
Salah not happy at being taken off. Shaking his head as walked to bench. But 5 mins ago Klopp was screaming at him to track back & help out defensively, he was a long way off. Bit of a half hearted jog. Klopp turned to Ljinders almost straight away & they discussed replacing him
— Matt Critchley (@MattCritchley1) March 4, 2021
In fairness, Salah has never been someone who spends a lot of time defending – and when you need a goal desperately – he’s the player most likely to get one…
Our superstar looking very disappointed on the bench after departing, and his agent sent out a subtle tweet of his own – suggesting he isn’t happy at the decision either.
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— Ramy Abbas Issa (@RamyCol) March 4, 2021