Mohamed Salah said Liverpool must find their identity again after a 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa on Friday night left Arne Slot’s side fifth in the Premier League table and under growing scrutiny over how they are playing.
Writing on social media after the loss, Salah said he had seen Liverpool go from doubters to believers and from believers to champions, but called it very painful to watch the team crumble to yet another defeat this season.
The forward, whose second-to-last game for Liverpool came at Villa Park after he revealed he would be leaving Anfield when his contract expires, said he wanted to see the club return to being the heavy metal attacking side opponents fear. He said that style was the football he knows how to play and that the identity Liverpool need to recover and keep for good cannot be negotiable.
Salah added that anyone who joins Liverpool should adapt to that standard, and said winning games here and there is not what the club should be about. He also said qualifying for next season’s Champions League is the bare minimum and that he will do everything he can to make that happen.
The comments land at a moment when Liverpool and Slot have been facing questions throughout the campaign about the team’s play style, with the Dutch coach trying to put his own stamp on the squad after Jurgen Klopp’s glittering tenure ended. A win at Villa Park would have qualified Liverpool for the Champions League this season, but the defeat leaves them needing to respond quickly if they are to stay on course.
For Salah, the message was plain: Liverpool’s next step is not to survive by inches but to look like Liverpool again.
