Jürgen Klopp has been at Liverpool long enough to know that his argument on the touchlines with Mohamed Salah was going to be a big story. He did everything in his power to play it down after the match, but it hasn’t stopped masses of discussion on the topic.
The manager probably wasn’t helped in his damage-limitation mission by Salah, who made waves in the mixed zone by declaring there would be “fire” if he spoke to the press. And with Liverpool’s season now effectively done in terms of competitive stakes, there’s little else to really focus on.
Of course, what we should be focusing on is the brilliant work that Klopp has done over nearly nine years at Liverpool. The mood, surely, will shift in that direction shortly, once the disappointment of how the campaign is ending has subsided a little.
But for the time being, new information about Klopp and Salah’s altercation keeps coming out in dribs and drabs. There was a big related update from The Athletic earlier today, which reported that Liverpool is planning for the new season with the Egyptian still on board.
And now, Sport Bible has spoken to lip-reader John Cassidy to try and shed some light on what exactly was said between Klopp and Salah. His conclusions are interesting.
During the initial flashpoint, where Salah appears reluctant to shake Klopp’s hand, Cassidy believes Salah is saying “‘There’s nothing I can do about that, nothing.” Obviously, this is shorn of important context, but potentially works with Jamie Carragher’s theory that the forward was taking too long to get ready.
What’s said next is obscured. The next visible exchange is right on the touchline, when Salah is waiting to come on, and this is the lip-reader’s interpretation:
“Salah then said, ‘I will, I will get a red card, after seven years, after seven years’ service, after seven years!’ He then got ushered away by Núñez.”
If this is accurate, it’s probably the key to understanding what really upset Salah. The red card reference is a little cryptic, but the reference to his seven years of exemplary service shows that he was ultimately just frustrated to have been so unceremoniously dropped from the side, before only being summoned late in the contest.
