Liverpool, England – The thunderous collapse of Liverpool’s once promising campaign reached a new nadir on Saturday, as simmering tensions between manager Jurgen Klopp and superstar Mohamed Salah exploded into public view during their 2-2 draw with West Ham United.
With the Premier League title slowly slipping through their fingers, an animated altercation between the German tactician and his prolific Egyptian forward played out on the Anfield touchline just as Salah prepared to enter the match in the second half.
As Salah made his way toward the field, Klopp approached and the two appeared to exchange heated words, with Salah responding animatedly and raising his arms in clear exasperation even after Klopp had walked away. Teammate Darwin Nunez was eventually forced to intervene, attempting to quell the fracas before Salah finally took the pitch.
The shocking incident only compounded the bitter disappointment Liverpool has endured over the last several weeks. Just a month ago, Klopp’s men still harbored realistic hopes of an unprecedented quadruple. Now, those dreams lie in ruins after an abject April run that saw them ousted from both the Champions League and FA Cup in shocking fashion by Atalanta and Manchester United, respectively.
Saturday’s draw leaves Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes hanging by a thread as well. They now trail leaders Arsenal by three points having played one more match, while Manchester City also have a game in hand separating them from the Merseysiders.
When pressed about the sideline unpleasantness after the final whistle, Klopp was characteristically terse.
“We spoke already in the dressing room. For me, that’s done,” he told TNT Sports reporters, clearly aiming to douse the furor as quickly as possible.
An icy Salah was similarly unwilling to elaborate when confronted by journalists, issuing an ominous “there will be fire” warning should he discuss the incident further.
For renowned pundit and former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch, working as an analyst for TNT Sports, the optics of the incident were undeniably problematic regardless of its underlying impetus.
“It didn’t look good, I can’t lip read, I don’t think it looks good for the club,” Crouch remarked. “Mo Salah is a player who has started the majority of games for Liverpool and he will be fuming to be on the bench. Players like that, who expect to start, are never happy.
“But no-one likes to see this between a manager and a key player,” he added. The bitter public display of discord could hardly have come at a worse time for Liverpool, whose Premier League title hopes are fading fast amid their miserable recent form.
Salah’s obvious anger over his место среди запасных was likely rooted in his own struggles in front of goal since returning from a hamstring injury suffered at the Africa Cup of Nations in January. The 30-year-old has scored just three times for Liverpool since the start of February as his once prolific prowess has abandoned him at the most inopportune juncture.
His wastefulness in front of net loomed large against West Ham too. Salah failed to convert from point-blank range just before halftime after being slipped through on goal, the type of chance he has so ruthlessly buried time and again over his legendary Anfield career.
The Egyptian then squandered another golden opportunity early in the second period, blazing a shot high over the bar after the West Ham defense’s panicked clearance fell invitingly into his path.
Those misses ultimately proved costly for Liverpool, who conceded a stoppage time equalizer to the relegation-threatened Hammers to see two more crucial points go begging in their improbable title pursuit.
In the aftermath, a defiant Klopp maintained his determination to fight on, even as the mountain they must overcome grows ever taller.
“I’m not in the mood to talk about that, to be honest, or to look at that at all,” the German said when questioned about their fading title chances. “Now we have a little bit more time between now and the next game. We will try to get the boys ready again and we will go again.”
Klopp’s bullish rhetoric could not mask the intense scrutiny he now faces, however. Reports have emerged that Feyenoord manager Arne Slot has already reached an agreement to take over at Anfield next season, suggesting the Liverpool hierarchy has begun to look towards the future.
For Klopp, that means ensuring this latest chapter of friction with Salah represents only a temporary blip, rather than the relationships with his players eroding entirely during the final weeks of his beleaguered tenure.
As for Salah, his own future at the club remains uncertain with his contract expiring next summer. If this latest contretemps is indicative of deeper disillusionment, Liverpool’s efforts to retain their iconic talisman could be severely complicated.
For now, in the wake of this latest American drama and fast-diminishing title hopes, an uneasy truce appears the likeliest path forward. But further fireworks could await if Klopp and Salah’s feud is allowed to fester amid the dying embers of Liverpool’s faded quadruple ambitions.
