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Allardyce Questions Salah’s Reaction as Slot Faces Liverpool Dilemma
Allardyce sparks debate over Salah behaviour
Football has always been a theatre of emotion, but there are moments when the script goes off piste and the commentary box becomes the loudest dressing room in the land. That is precisely what happened when Sam Allardyce weighed in on Mohamed Salah’s reaction to being substituted during Liverpool’s recent win at Nottingham Forest.
Allardyce did not hold back. Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, he said Salah was “behaving like a big baby” after being withdrawn late in the match. It was blunt, unmistakably Allardyce, and entirely in keeping with a pundit who has never seen diplomacy as a necessary tool.
Yet the debate is not really about manners or bench etiquette. It is about expectation. When a forward of Salah’s calibre goes nine Premier League games without a goal, scrutiny is inevitable. At Liverpool, it is relentless.
Slot’s call under the spotlight
Arne Slot’s decision to substitute Salah in the 77th minute with the score still goalless was, by most metrics, defensible. According to match data cited in the original source, Salah had no shots, won no duels and completed just 72 per cent of his passes. He did not attempt a dribble and was dribbled past twice.
Managers live and die by decisions like that. Slot saw a game drifting and sought fresh impetus. Rio Ngumoha’s late cameo offered more incision, and Liverpool found their way through. From a tactical standpoint, Slot was simply doing his job.
Allardyce, however, framed it differently. “Mohamed Salah needs to bite the bullet, sit down, and make sure he starts scoring,” he said. “Stop blaming Arne Slot when it’s your own fault that you’re not scoring and getting taken off.” It was not subtle, but it cut to a truth that elite footballers know well: performance dictates privilege.
Salah’s form and Liverpool expectations
Salah’s record at Liverpool has long since placed him among Anfield’s pantheon. Goals, assists, decisive moments under pressure – he has delivered them in bulk. That history buys patience, but it does not grant immunity.
A nine-match drought, even with international commitments interrupting rhythm, is significant. Liverpool’s title ambitions hinge on margins, and when the main striker is misfiring, those margins shrink. Slot’s willingness to act speaks to a manager intent on accountability rather than sentiment.
Still, it is worth remembering the human dimension. Footballers are not machines. They care deeply about their influence, their contribution, their pride. A shake of the head on the bench, a rueful laugh, a moment of disbelief – these are hardly acts of rebellion. They are reminders of a competitor desperate to matter.
Perspective on criticism and leadership
Allardyce’s words will divide opinion. Some will applaud his insistence on discipline. Others will see unnecessary grandstanding. Reality, as ever, sits somewhere in between.
What matters for Liverpool is not the noise outside but the conversation inside. If Salah has concerns, he will speak to Slot. If Slot needs more from Salah, he will demand it. That is the contract between manager and player.
Public criticism can sharpen focus or fracture unity. Liverpool will hope it does the former. Salah remains a player capable of turning a season with a single run of form. Slot remains a manager tasked with balancing authority and empathy.
In the end, football is a results business. Goals quiet critics. Wins erase doubts. If Salah scores next week, Allardyce’s remarks will fade into trivia. If the drought continues, the questions will grow louder.