Mo Salah has split opinion with his extraordinary Instagram statement ahead of his final Liverpool appearance.
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The Egyptian’s comments about wanting the club to recover its “heavy metal” identity have resonated with plenty of supporters, but others feel the timing has created another distraction before a crucial final day.
Steve Nicol is firmly in the second camp after delivering a fierce response.
Steve Nicol criticises Salah statement
Speaking on ESPN, Nicol made it clear that he could not understand why Salah had chosen to speak so publicly at this stage.
The former Liverpool defender said: “To do this now, right at the end of his time at Liverpool, it’s just complete and utter madness.”
Nicol then asked: “Why do you want to go ahead and tarnish it?”
That is the uncomfortable part of this debate because Salah has earned enormous respect through years of goals, trophies and professionalism.
The 33-year-old has been one of the greatest players we have ever seen in a red shirt, and his farewell should have been a moment of total appreciation.
Instead, his statement has turned into another flashpoint during a season that has already been full of them.
Salah farewell now feels complicated
Gary Neville has already described Salah’s statement as pulling “the pin out of a grenade”, and Nicol went even further in questioning the tone of the message.
The Scot said: “That is a lack of class from Mo Salah.”
That is a huge claim about a player who has usually handled himself so well at Liverpool, and many supporters will feel it is too strong given how much truth there was in parts of Salah’s post.
He is right that Liverpool have drifted too far from the aggressive, feared side we once were under Jurgen Klopp.
But Nicol’s point is about timing, not whether the problems exist.
With Champions League qualification still not secured and Anfield preparing to say goodbye to Salah and Andy Robertson, the club needed unity more than another public argument.
Salah remains a Liverpool legend, but this has undeniably made his final week far messier than it needed to be.
Top player Steve but know talks rubbish on US tv.
Because he has balls. He loves Liverpool FC and wants LFC to be a better club. there is no right time .
I agree, utter rubbish!
Salah was spot on. We have turned into a joke team under Slot.
Not for me it hasn’t, what mo did was to speak the truth it needed saying by someone who is part of the squad, our football is too slow and I think that is what mo was getting at, another thing that doesn’t help is the rotating I know we have injured players but even if everyone was fit I couldn’t see him playing a settled side week in week out, and anyone Playing Jones at fullback or anywhere else for that matter deserves the sack,so no, mo was spot on in what he said.
I agree, utter rubbish!
Steve nicol has singled out criticism for Salah all season, but he keeps very Quiet about slot and his failures. Slot put a sly dig towards Salah last week about mentality and age. It’s tit for tat, Salah having his say. Obviously the relationship between Salah and slot broke down months ago, and it’s got worse.
On heavy metal football I would say this. The klopp ear has long gone, he won’t be coming back, nobody else out there who could deliver that kind of intensity and pressing. There are other ways of being successful, nothing wrong with wanting possession football with technical players, but in the premier league you have to find the right balance. More physical players are needed at Liverpool, more strength and stamina to get up and down the pitch and cope with the counter. We have to be better without the ball. More organised and harder to score against. That must be the building block to start.
Whether slot is the right manager it’s gone well beyond that. He’s not, he never was.
Salah will be remembered while slot will quickly be forgotten. We will miss Salah, we wont miss slot
You put it better than me
Omg who is he? Another one needs three minutes of fame so they attack Salah. He is the king, you are nothing, and the truth always hurts. Class and model and hero is Salah. Get over yourself, lowest-class
Bit harsh, he was a great player for Liverpool
At our peak, we had 4 flying, electric attackers – 2 on the right, 2 on the left – Trent, Salah, Sadio, Robertson. That was 3-4 years ago. We have lost all that pace and energy this year. Can’t defy ageing. Until we get real pace back in our team, we will not go far even with a change of coach. Pep’s teams are always full of pace. He places a premium on pace. Increasingly, teams are injecting a lot of pace into their ranks.
Salah just expressed what everyone was thinking, EXCEPT SLOT!
Salah has the courage to say what we all know. Slot is not the right manager for this great team. It’s because Salah cares so much about the team that he is willing to speak out. Drone their reactions, his teammates are there with the rest of us. The pundits have this wrong, especially WR. Salah is taking the hit to say the right thing. Slit is killing Liverpool FC.