Mohamed Salah has spent years conducting himself with a quiet professionalism that's made him one of the most respected figures in world football, letting his performances do all the talking for the majority of his career.
Which is precisely why his statement following Liverpool's 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa on Friday night landed with such force, and why Steven Gerrard, speaking on TNT Sport's FA Cup final coverage, felt compelled to address it at length.
Salah had taken to X to express his frustration at the direction Liverpool have taken this season, calling for a return to the "heavy metal attacking football" that defined the Klopp era and warning that the club's identity "cannot be negotiable." It was a remarkable statement from a player preparing to leave the club, and one that carried an unmistakable message for those inside Anfield. See Salah’s full post below:
Gerrard didn't miss the significance of it. "That is extremely interesting," he said. "Mo Salah doesn't really speak much, and he doesn't tweet, and he certainly doesn't tweet like that. So I think that he's sending a message to the outside that things in that Liverpool dressing room are not right: the identity's gone and it's really hurting him to see it in front of his own eyes."
Steven Gerrard Believes Salah’s Tweet is Aimed at Arne Slot
Arne Slot and Mo Salah
For Gerrard, the timing was as telling as the content. With one game remaining in Salah's Liverpool career, the decision to go public with such criticism isn't something that can be brushed aside by anyone inside Anfield.
"That is quite damning to the Liverpool manager and the staff in terms of where this team's at."
The Liverpool legend also raised the question of whether Salah was speaking purely for himself or giving voice to a bigger feeling within the dressing room. "Is he speaking off his own back for the sake of everyone else in the dressing room, who knows? It's strange, it's unusual."
Watch Gerrard’s full explanation here:
Steven Gerrard “Hurt” by Liverpool’s Loss to Aston Villa
Liverpool and Aston Villa players
Liverpool and Aston Villa players
Gerrard's frustration wasn't solely directed at Salah's statement. The performance against Villa affected him deeply, and he was unsparing in his assessment of what he’d witnessed.
"The performance last night was terrible, it was awful, it was difficult to watch from start to finish and it hurt me watching Liverpool last night. I don't normally say that. There was no fight, no passion, no pattern of play, no connection, they're not moving around the pitch together, individuals were miles off what I know they can perform at. It hurt me to watch Liverpool last night, it was nowhere near good enough."
With one game left of Salah's Liverpool career and Champions League qualification still not secured, the pressure on Arne Slot could hardly be more intense. As of yet, Slot hasn't given a reaction to Salah's tweet.