Jamie Carragher has branded Mohamed Salah’s shocking interview “disgraceful” but wishes he had not played his final match for Liverpool.
Salah was left out of selection after he said he had a long-standing relationship with Liverpool manager Arne Slott and claimed the club threw him under the bus over the decision to bench him for three games in a row.
Carragher, who was also mentioned by Salah in the interview, believes Salah’s intervention was pre-planned and potentially meant to sack Slott after Liverpool twice took the lead against Leeds.
“I thought his behavior after the game was disgraceful,” Sky Sports pundit Carragher said on Monday Night Football. “Some people have painted this as an emotional outburst, but I don’t think that’s the case.
“Every time Mo Salah stops in a mixed zone, which he has done four times in eight years at Liverpool, it is choreographed by him and his agents to do maximum damage and strengthen his own position.”
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Liverpool manager Arne Slott reacts to forward Salah’s explosive comments at the weekend
He added: “I think he chose to do this this weekend and was waiting for a bad result for Liverpool.”
“I think you can see from the last-minute goal that Liverpool supporters, the manager and everyone involved at the club feel like they’re at rock bottom right now. And he may have chosen that moment to try to get a manager in and maybe even get him sacked.”
“I hope he plays for Liverpool again.”
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Mohamed Salah has given a fiery interview about his current situation at Liverpool and how his relationship with manager Arne Slott has deteriorated. Instagram credit: @viaplaypremierssunday.
Despite his frustrations with Salah, Carragher does not want to see the Liverpool legend’s time at the club end this way.
Salah did not travel to Tuesday’s Champions League match against Inter, but hinted that Saturday’s Premier League visit to Brighton’s Anfield could be his last outing for Liverpool.
The Egyptian international departed for AFCON on the Monday following the game and may not be able to return to Merseyside until January 1, when the transfer window reopens.
“The club made the right decision in not having[Salah]go abroad,” Carragher said.
“I don’t know if he’ll play for Liverpool again. I hope he plays again because he’s one of the greatest players we’ve ever played. But if you keep going like that and make statements like that if he doesn’t play, who knows?”
“If Salah tries to throw my club under the bus, I’ll catch him.”
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Backpage Tonight’s panellists discuss the current situation between Liverpool head coach Arne Slott and forward Mohamed Salah.
Salah said in an interview that by speaking out, “Carragher is going to defend me as many times as he wants.” Asked about this, the Sky Sports pundit replied: “Have I ever criticized Mo Salah on the pitch?”
“That happens to every player. That’s not a criticism of him as a player,” Carragher said after last month’s Champions League defeat to PSV when experts pointed out that Salah’s legs were missing.
“I never criticized him for not going back to work. I never criticized him when he went out without scoring. I never criticized him when he sometimes didn’t pass someone when he should have.
“Because he is an absolute legend at the club and you have to put up with a certain amount of what you get from him.
“I think some of the criticism of Mo Salah this season has gone too far. I’ve said it publicly. But when he tries to throw my club under the bus on the pitch and only thinks about himself, I’m going to go after him. I definitely will.”
“Please help Virts and Isaac. Don’t get attached to your numbers.”
Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak haven’t had much to celebrate since joining Liverpool
Carragher also told Salah to stop obsessing over his own numbers and to help team-mates Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak after a difficult start to their spell at Liverpool.
“Mo Salah talks about how many goals he scores. He always talks about himself: ‘I’ve scored more goals than anyone in the Premier League, what I did last season,'” Carragher said.
“I just want to remind Mo Salah and probably his agent that before he came to Liverpool, Mo Salah was known as a failure at Chelsea. That’s just a fact. He never won any big trophies before he came to Liverpool.
“He is also the greatest player his country has ever played. Egypt is the most successful country in the African Cup of Nations. He will be there in a few weeks. Mo Salah has never won AFCON.”
“That’s not to say I’m trying to diminish Mo Salah as a player. I’m just saying he’s been one of the best players in the world for the last eight years and there are very few better players. But what this says to Mo Salah and his agent is that it’s not about the individual.”
“Before you came to Liverpool, you were not a big star. You had never won anything in Egypt. All I can say here is that no matter how good a player is, he needs the help of his teammates, the manager and the fans.”
“When he talks in the mixed zone after the game, all he talks about is me, me, me.”
Carragher added: “My criticism on the pitch is to help other players, help Florian Wirtz, help Alexander Isaac. Don’t get too attached to your numbers.”
Slott has ‘no clue’ whether Salah played in the final match
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Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has responded to Mohamed Salah’s words at the weekend.
Liverpool manager Arne Slott said he was “surprised” that Salah had said their relationship had broken down, but did not rule out the possibility of Salah returning.
Slott said the only communication he had with Salah since Saturday’s bombshell interview was that he told him he would not be traveling to Italy for Tuesday’s Champions League game against Inter. When asked how the conversation went, he replied, “It was short.”
Slott has kept Salah on the bench for Liverpool’s last three games but said he did not believe his relationship with the Egyptian had broken down and had seen no signs of it until Salah’s interview. “I was surprised to hear that he made these comments,” Slott said at a news conference Monday.
“I’m a strong believer that there’s always a chance for a player to come back,” Slott said.
But when asked whether Salah played his last game for Liverpool, Slott said: “I have no idea and I can’t answer that question at this point.”
Slott was asked if Salah could return to contention for Saturday’s Premier League match against Brighton at Anfield.
The Dutchman said the decision would be taken after Tuesday night’s game against Inter.
Salah and Slott face off in a Ronaldo-style power play
Analysis by Ginny Boswell of Sky Sports:
“Mohamed Salah has made his decision for Liverpool after making it clear that he no longer has a relationship with Arne Slott. It’s difficult to see the way forward for both star player and head coach at the moment. Whatever happens next, it will have huge implications for Liverpool.”
“Salah has chosen to speak out to send a message about his future in a season that has been largely silent, at a time when Slott is faltering after failing to get the seven points Jamie Carragher said he needed to save his job against West Ham, Sunderland and Leeds.
“Importantly, Slott was the only one of Salah’s colleagues to be named. Whether intentionally or not, he played a game of ‘me versus him’, although Salah may argue that he did so by forcing Slott to watch from the bench as Liverpool twice took the lead at Elland Road.”
“The indisputable takeaway from Salah’s bombshell interview is that he just wants to play football again. It’s unclear whether that will happen at Liverpool. Next Saturday’s game against Brighton, the last game before going to AFCON, could potentially be his farewell to Anfield.”
“It’s hard to see the world he plays in this week after this.”
