Liverpool are sinking deeper into crisis with 9 defeats in the last 15 matches in all competitions. And Mohamed Salah added to the chaos when he publicly criticized the club for " defaming" him.
The Egyptian striker started in the first 12 rounds of the Premier League, but only scored 4 goals and 2 assists. His poor form saw him propped up to the bench for the third consecutive away game against Leeds United. And after the 3-3 draw at Elland Road, Salah immediately became the center of attention.
"Someone wants to blame me. The club has promised me a lot in the summer. Now I have to sit on the bench, so it can be said that they did not keep their promises. I used to have a good relationship with Arne Slot. There is nothing between us now and I don't understand why. It seems like someone doesn't want me to stay," Salah said.
That was a rare explosive statement from a player who had only spoken to the media four times in more than eight and a half years at Liverpool. That unusual frankness shows Salah feeling more clearly that his future at Anfield is more shaky than ever.
Why is Salah criticizing Liverpool?
Just a few months ago, Salah was in high demand when he won the PFA Player of the Year award after scoring 29 goals in Liverpool's Premier League campaign last season. Becoming the first player in history to win the award three times reflects the Egyptian's persistent brilliance since joining Liverpool in 2017.
With 250 goals in 420 appearances for The Reds, it is easy to understand why he felt that he was no longer respected by Arne Slot and the Anfield board that he thought he deserved.
Despite starting Liverpool's first 12 Premier League games of the season, Slot shocked the Reds by leaving a long-standing pillar in last weekend's West Ham United clash - a 2-0 win for the Reds. That bold decision was seen as effective, and as a result Salah continued to start from the bench in the next two matches against Sunderland (1-1) and Leeds (3-3), despite him being sent on in the first half of the draw with Sunderland.
"To be honest, I can't accept that. If I were else, every club would protect their players. I don't think I'm the problem. I fight for my position every day because I deserve it. I'm not bigger than the club, bigger than anything. But I deserve respect" - the former AS Roma player expressed his feelings.
Salah's declining form is undeniable. 4 goals in the first 15 matches of the season are clearly far behind the 13 goals in the same period last year. However, the 33-year-old striker believes he is being unfairly blamed for Liverpool's poor performance.
However, sources confirmed that some staff rated Salah as somewhat "cold- shouldered" and always exuded "specialness". Therefore, many people at Anfield were not surprised when he decided to speak up.
A source said Salah had no plans to speak to the media after the match against Leeds. However, the staff had predicted that he would say something and prepare the person in charge of the media to accompany him in case of need.
