sport news Mo Salah and Jurgen Klopp's relationship is at its lowest ebb at the worst ... trends now
As Jurgen Klopp's farewell tour stumbles towards a disappointing end, his relationship with Mohamed Salah, the man who has embodied the brilliance of his reign perhaps more than any others, is at an all-time low.
The pair were involved in a touchline spat during the Reds' 2-2 draw at West Ham on Saturday, which left them third in the table two points adrift of Arsenal and one behind Manchester City - who have one and two games in hand over Klopp's team.
Salah was dropped to the bench for Liverpool's 2-2 draw at West Ham on Saturday and looked decidedly unhappy with Klopp when he was finally introduced in the 79th minute.
‘If I speak, there will be fire,’ said the forward, as he declined interviews in the mix zone after the game. Arms were outstretched, fingers pointed and Darwin Nunez, of all people, had to step in as an unlikely peacemaker.
Jamie Carragher described the reaction as 'daft' and insisted the altercation should not cloud the end of Klopp's reign at Anfield.
Mohamed Salah and Jurgen Klopp had strong words for each other as the forward came onto the pitch in the second half
Saturday's clash was the second time in three matches the Egyptian has started on the bench
The Reds saw their faint Premier League hopes all but disappear with the 2-2 draw at the London Stadium
'Mo Salah and Jurgen Klopp are both LFC legends. We don't need to take sides!,' the former Reds legend wrote on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter.
'Salah is frustrated and angry with Jurgen that he's not playing and at that moment didn't want to fully embrace the boss, Jurgen understandably took exception.
'Mo was daft with his comment in the moved [mixed] zone but let's let them sort it out and enjoy the last few weeks together.
'They've been a massive help to each other in all that's been achieved at the club!'
Meanwhile, speaking on Match the Day on Saturday night, Alan Shearer said he had sympathy for the Liverpool talisman and could understand his frustrations.
'We don't know what Klopp has said to him there. He's said something that's riled him,' the former England striker said.
'He's obviously got the right hump with being left out and probably rightly so, even though hasn't hit the heights that Mo Salah has done over the years. He's been an unbelievable player.
'He ignores Jurgen [Klopp], he gives the Liverpool fans a little round of applause and goes straight down the tunnel.
'But we're guessing as to what Jurgen said to him. I understand that if Mo has the right hump because the amount of times he's been Liverpool's superstar and their saviour.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said Salah was 'daft' to make the comment but suggested the pair would settle their differences
Carragher said there was no need for Liverpool fans to take sides in the disagreement
'He's got 17 goals in 25 league starts. Anyone else you'd look at that and think 'unbelievable'. It's a shame it's going to end like that because of what Klopp's done and what Salah's done.'
The spat could have been passed off as a storm in a teacup but ended up being a full-blown tornado. In just seven words, Salah confirmed what all football fans had suspected: all is not well for the Egyptian King at Liverpool and the end looks nearer than ever.
Asked about the incident after the game, Klopp tried to play it down and said: ‘We spoke about that moment in the dressing room with the lads, it's done.’ Klopp tried to extinguish any flames of speculation but Salah then added fuel, the debate roared on and soon became out of control.
Social media is not the best gauge for fan opinion but a large majority of supporters soon started to turn on Salah, the man with 210 Liverpool goals to his name, after his petty antics threatened to overshadow the farewell tour of club legend Klopp.
The location of the original row said a lot in itself and the fact it happened on the touchline highlights something was wrong long before this tip of the iceberg emerged. This was the second time in the last three games that Salah had started as a substitute.
If last week at Fulham could be passed off as the forward being rested, his omission for this trip to West Ham was clear: he was dropped. Be it form, fitness or attitude - maybe a bit of both - Salah is certainly not Klopp’s favourite pupil at the moment.
And that was probably the bone of contention that led him to have a short fuse when waiting to be introduced in the 79th minute. There is no transcript of what was said, but it was clear both parties were agitated - Salah more so - and fingers were being pointed.
Klopp had demanded his team to
