Mohamed Salah got three things right in his latest Liverpool statement, but Gary Neville and others reacted with surprise that he decided to weigh in before his final appearance
04:00, 18 May 2026
Mohamed Salah during Aston Villa vs Liverpool in the Premier League.
Mohamed Salah during Aston Villa vs Liverpool in the Premier League.(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Curtis Jones responded with a clapping emoji, and Hugo Ekitike with a handshake. Numerous members of the Liverpool squad liked the post too.
It is safe to say that Mohamed Salah caused a stir. As Steven Gerrard essentially said in his response to the Egyptian's latest statement, he doesn't speak often, so when he does, people listen even more intently.
Much of what Salah said was uncontroversial. He wants the best for Liverpool moving forward, clearly, and as others, including Virgil van Dijk, have stated at multiple points in the last few months, the performances and results in recent times have been unacceptable.
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Salah has promised to do everything he can on his final Liverpool appearance to ensure that the Reds are back playing Champions League soccer next season, with three more points required to guarantee it.
There were 190 words in Salah's statement, and most were perfectly reasonable.
They painted a picture of someone desperate for things to improve — even if he is soon to be leaving. The latest second-half collapse, this time at Villa Park, was simply not of the required level, even with some key men missing.
However, the idea that Liverpool has to return to playing a "heavy metal" style is not really true. It won the Premier League title just 12 months ago using a calmer and more relaxed approach.
Even under Jurgen Klopp, it is a misconception that Liverpool was always full-throttle and all-out attack.
Arne Slot and Mohamed Salah during Aston Villa vs Liverpool.
Arne Slot and Mohamed Salah during Aston Villa vs Liverpool.(Image: Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images)
As time went by, Klopp moved further along the sliding scale towards Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, and his greatest rival edged a bit closer to him.
The Liverpool teams that were most successful, and especially the ones that went closest to being sustainable, were much more possession-based.
Those with better players, which were accumulated as time went by under Klopp, tend to be more dominant than counter-attacking.
That is not to say, of course, that this season's Liverpool is playing anything close to the manner that it should be. Nor is that to suggest that the Reds cannot be successful by implementing a higher press.
Salah is one of a number of stars who have been unable to physically do that as effectively as last term, though, alongside the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.
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Arne Slot could reasonably argue that playing a high-tempo style is only possible with players who are fit enough to do it, and he admitted ahead of Aston Villa that physical levels generally across the squad need to improve.
With a roster missing pace and electricity in attack, but also at times legs in midfield, Slot has been unable to get the most out of the players at his disposal.
Those players, however, have also been far too passive. They are not being instructed to let players run past them with ease.
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As a result, next season, with fresh options to choose from after an important summer of transfers, things could look very different.
Heavy metal soccer is not necessarily what Liverpool should be aiming for, but Slot might argue that he doesn't have the players for it anyway.