Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Mohamed Salah (left) appears to have had an argument with manager Jurgen Klopp during the match against West Ham.
CNN
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Just a few weeks ago, Jurgen Klopp looked set to end his tenure as Liverpool manager in style. The club competed to win the English Premier League, were favorites to win the Europa League and reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Adding three trophies to the League Cup already won in February was not such a fanciful prospect.
But Klopp’s reign, which ends this season, will not have the romantic, trophy-laden finale that Reds supporters have been craving. A series of disappointing results against Crystal Palace and Everton all but ended any hopes of a second league title under the German manager, while the Reds suffered shock defeats to Manchester United and Atalanta respectively They were eliminated from the FA Cup and Europa League.
Saturday’s 2-2 draw with West Ham leaves Liverpool with a slim chance of winning the title, but only if both Manchester City and Arsenal do something unexpected will join the fight.
The club’s efforts to win a ‘quadruple’ trophy quickly faltered this month, as exemplified by Klopp’s touchline altercation with star striker Mohamed Salah during Saturday’s draw. It was the end of a miserable season.
As he was about to enter the pitch as a second-half substitute, Salah and Klopp could be seen on television exchanging words on the sideline.
Klopp walked over to speak to the forward, prompting a reaction from the Egyptian player. Salah then continued to speak to Klopp, raising his arms in frustration after the German walked away, but teammate Darwin Nunez, who was also due to be brought on as a substitute, intervened. ended the exchange with raised eyebrows.
After the match, Klopp did not discuss the details of the incident, but told TNT Sports: For me, that’s it. ”
Footage of Salah walking through the stadium’s ‘mixed zone’ (an area where journalists can speak to players) was widely shared on social media, with the striker telling a passing reporter: ‘If I talk, I will be on fire’. He was talking.
Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch, a pundit for TNT Sports, said of the exchange:
“Mo Salah is a player who starts most of Liverpool’s games and will be very much looking forward to being on the bench. A player like that who expects to start is never happy. .
“But no one wants to see something like this happen between a manager and a key player.”
Liverpool have won just one of their last five league games, and although the Gunners have played one game less, they currently sit in third place, two points behind leaders Arsenal. Second-placed Manchester City have played two fewer games, so they are one point ahead of the Reds.
Salah has been playing below his usual standard as part of Liverpool’s attacking team of late, squandering enough chances in recent games.
His last league goal was in the 2-2 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford, a game that appeared to be the beginning of a downturn in Liverpool’s fortunes.
Salah has scored just three goals for the club since returning from a hamstring injury sustained while playing for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
“To be honest, I’m not in the mood to talk about it, I’m not in the mood to consider it at all,” Klopp said of the title race in an interview with TNT Sports.
“We had to win here and we knew that, but we couldn’t.
“There’s a little more time between now and the next game. We’ll get the players ready again and we’ll go again.”
Meanwhile, according to multiple reports, Liverpool have agreed to a compensation deal with Dutch side Feyenoord to appoint Arne Slott as their new manager.
