What Mo Salah Did on Pitch After Leeds 3-3 Liverpool Speaks Volumes

Footage of Mohamed Salah’s actions following Liverpool’s 3-3 draw with Leeds United on Saturday evening speaks volumes about where the Egyptian King’s head is at right now. Last season’s Premier League Player of the Season hasn’t started the Reds’ last three fixtures, coming off the bench only once during a run that includes just one win and two draws.

It now appears that Arne Slot has learned the true meaning of “play stupid games, win stupid prizes,” except Salah’s bombshell interview just over a week before leaving for AFCON was anything but a prize. Instead, it has thrown both his and his manager’s immediate futures into a tailspin. He has accused the Dutchman of “throwing him under the bus” and has spoken openly about a total breakdown in their relationship.

Liverpool have won only once in their last six matches across all competitions, and the Premier League form table since September places them 18th – firmly in the relegation zone. There’s no way to sugarcoat the mess the defending champions find themselves in, and it’s looking increasingly likely that Salah could be sold in January without a proper sendoff, only compounding the misery.

Salah’s Actions on the Pitch After Leeds 3-3 Liverpool

Salah spent an unusually long time on the pitch at Elland Road after a late collapse saw the Reds surrender both a 2-0 lead and a 3-2 lead, ultimately missing the chance to move into fifth. After slowly making his way over to clap the away end, he then proceeded to wave – almost as if he were saying farewell. Watch the incident below:

An alternative explanation for his wave could simply be that he’s leaving for AFCON soon. However, with the Egyptian national team not expecting him to link up until December 15, the footage above – combined with his stunning interview – suggests he genuinely doesn’t know where his future lies.

This is only reinforced by his revelation that he has invited his family to Anfield for the final match against Brighton next Saturday.

Salah’s Interview Throws Grenade Into Reds’ Hierarchy

Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes now face their most difficult few weeks together as the ones calling the shots behind the scenes at Anfield. Salah’s comments appear to hand them an ultimatum: sack Slot and find someone who can quickly get the best out of him and his teammates, or risk losing Salah for a half-price fee to Saudi Arabia in January without a deserved farewell.

No player is bigger than the club, but Salah’s words seem to have shone a light on Slot’s loss of the dressing room, with Richard Keys even suggesting that another “very, VERY senior player” is unhappy with the management. Meanwhile, in hindsight, the handling of Federico Chiesa only adds weight to the idea that the Dutchman hasn’t always managed the squad as well as he could have.

Difficult decisions need to be made to prevent the situation from escalating any further, but this saga feels far from over as the Anfield higher-ups figure out the next plan of attack.