Carragher Critiques Salah Amid Liverpool’s Struggles

A year ago, Jamie Carragher referred to Mohamed Salah as “selfish” for publicly voicing his dissatisfaction over Liverpool’s failure to offer him a new contract.

During a discussion on Sky Sports, Carragher emphasized, “The most important thing for Liverpool this season is not the future of Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk, or Trent Alexander-Arnold. The priority is Liverpool winning the Premier League. That supersedes the concerns of any individual player. If Salah continues to make comments or if his agent posts cryptic messages online, it appears to be self-serving and not in the best interest of the football club.”

In response, the Egyptian forward rebuffed Carragher’s remarks, but their dispute concluded amicably when Salah signed a two-year extension at Anfield. Fast forward to the current season, and Carragher has again criticized the 33-year-old following Liverpool’s dismal performance, which has seen them drop to 12th place in the Premier League, losing six out of their last seven matches.

This season has also been challenging for Salah, who scored an impressive 34 goals last year but has only netted five in 17 matches so far. Following Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, captain Van Dijk stated that “everyone has to take responsibility” for the team’s current struggles and urged his teammates to rectify the situation. Carragher echoed these sentiments, suggesting that Salah should take on a leadership role moving forward.

On Monday Night Football, Carragher commented, “After the recent defeats, Virgil van Dijk has consistently taken the initiative to address the media, which is commendable for a captain. However, I believe other players, including Salah, should also step up and speak for the team. Salah was vocal about his contract situation last year; I would like to see him show similar leadership now. Although the manager bears the brunt of the criticism when results are poor, it is vital that players also take accountability. Any manager with such results would be under pressure, and there is no doubt that the manager is feeling the heat given Liverpool’s past success and significant summer spending.”

Despite the disappointing results, head coach Arne Slot expressed his determination to find solutions as Liverpool prepares for a hectic schedule. He noted, “I don’t perceive a lack of confidence among the players. After we fell behind, I attempted to motivate them and provide guidance for the second half. They continued to exert effort, and I cannot fault them for that. Although we created opportunities, we must improve our response after conceding. We have not scored in our last two matches.”

Liverpool aims to move past the defeat against Nottingham Forest when they face PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday at Anfield. The Reds have experienced more success in Europe this season, making this match an ideal opportunity to reignite their campaign. Following this fixture, they will encounter West Ham, Sunderland, Leeds United, and Inter Milan within a span of ten days.