Klopp and Salah's debate peaks Liverpool's frustration

The Klopp- Salah debate is the accumulation of frustration over the past month. Klopp's farewell party is on the line.

AFP/BEN STANSALL

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp waves to the Liverpool supporters after the English Premier League match against West Ham United at London Stadium on Saturday (27/4/2024). The match ended in a 2-2 draw.

LONDON, SATURDAY – The story of manager Juergen Klopp's perfect farewell at Liverpool is just a dream. Having lost points again, squad harmony also doesn't look good. The debate between Klopp and striker Mohamed Salah reflected the peak of the Reds' frustration.

An unusual sight was seen when Liverpool were held to a draw by hosts West Ham United 2-2 at the London Stadium, Saturday (27/4/2024) evening WIB. To be precise, in the 79th minute, Salah was on the sidelines to come off the bench. Klopp approached, then whispered something right in his ear.

Responding aggressively was a mistake. He immediately exchanged arguments with his manager, as if trying to challenge Klopp's statement. The "verbal sparring" lasted about ten seconds. Salah even had to be calmed down by another striker, Darwin Nunez, who was also waiting in line to enter the field.

Also read: Wasted opportunities, Liverpool's chance of winning is wasted

“It wasn't nice to look at at all. They are two equally important figures for the club. The relationship between them has always been mutually respectful. They help each other's careers. "There seems to be a clash of egos," said former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Klopp's decision in the West Ham game was quite unique. He benched Salah in a must-win match to maintain their chances of being champions. However, the team's top scorer was just benched last week when Liverpool beat Fulham. His position was filled by substitute player Harvey Elliott.

JONATHAN BRADY/PA VIA AP

Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah sat on the bench during England's match against West Ham United, Saturday (27/4/2024).

Klopp seems to be "punishing" Salah for his recent lack of sharpness. The Egyptian player has only scored one goal in the last six games, and almost didn't contribute anything when Liverpool lost to their city rivals, Everton, in the midweek. Along with Salah, four other starting players against Everton were also benched.

Salah and Klopp were reluctant to comment further after the match. According to The Athletic journalist James Pearce, the striker chose to remain silent because he did not want to make the situation worse. "If I speak today, there will be a fire," Salah said as he walked through a mixed zone filled with journalists.

Also read: Liverpool's Crossroads

Klopp says that the debate was only a spontaneous reaction on the field. Nothing more than a form of frustration towards the failure to win against West Ham. "No, I can't tell you what was said, but we have already talked about the issue in the dressing room. Everything is resolved," explained the manager.

It's understandable if the Liverpool squad feels frustrated. They dominated the home team throughout the match with 71.3% ball possession and 28-11 shot attempts. However, "The Reds" were unable to capitalize on their chances. They were unlucky, hitting the post and crossbar once each.

According to Squawka Live, Liverpool have been thwarted by the post or crossbar 24 times this season. That number is at least four times more than any team in Europe's five best leagues. This misfortune again overshadowed Salah and his colleagues in the previous match.

AP PHOTO/KIN CHEUNG

West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola blocked Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez's kick during the Premier League match, Saturday (27/4/2024).

As a result, Liverpool is increasingly isolated in the title race. They currently occupy the third position with 75 points from 35 matches. Arsenal is still at the top of the leaderboard (77 points from 34 matches), followed by Manchester City (76 points from 33 matches). Arsenal and City, meanwhile, will only play on Sunday night.

Accumulated frustration

If you look further, the conditions in the Liverpool dressing room are an accumulation of frustration. They lost their footing because they failed to give the best farewell gift to Klopp, who will leave at the end of the season. The players had the ambition to win the quadruple or four titles at once.

However, after winning the League Cup and stepping on the gas until mid-March, they slowly ran out of gas. The downfall began with defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup, then being eliminated by Atalanta in the Europa League. These bad results have an impact on performance trends in the Premier League.

Since Klopp announced he would step down on January 26th, Liverpool has won 10 out of 12 games in all competitions. However, after losing to MU, they have only won 4 out of 9 games. This includes winning only once in their last five league matches. It is clear that the entire team is under pressure.

Liverpool is known to always be able to make a difference on both sides of the penalty box. However, the burden on their shoulders changed everything. According to xG Philosophy, in the last five matches, Liverpool only recorded 7 goals from 12.78 xG (expected goals), while conceding 8 goals from only 5.88 xG against the opponent.

AP PHOTO/KIN CHEUNG

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp's gesture expressed his gratitude to supporters after the Premier League match against West Ham United, Saturday (27/4/2024).

After drawing with West Ham, Klopp lost interest in discussing the league championship title. The only title that is still possible to be obtained before he leaves. "I am not currently interested in discussing or thinking about it. We have to win here, but we are not doing it," he said.

The burden that also envelopes Salah's body. As Liverpool's goal and assist machine, he is expected to play a bigger role. In reality, Salah's performance has been declining since returning with a injury from the Africa Cup. As a result, with all these problems, the end of Klopp's story in Liverpool is threatened to be even worse. (AP/REUTERS)