Florian Wirtz has claimed that too much has been made of Mohamed Salah’s controversial post ahead of his final game for Liverpool.
Salah seemingly sent a pointed message to Arne Slot by demanding the Reds change their style of play in order to turn things around next season.
The controversy was furthered after a number of the Liverpool squad ‘liked’ the Egyptian’s message on Instagram.
What did you make of Salah’s explosive statement before his last game for the club?
This sounds like it was aimed at Slot…
One of those to give his support to Salah, Wirtz has now explained that there is no problem between any Liverpool player and Slot, and that the message was merely one of frustration after a difficult season.
Wirtz defuses Salah vs Slot
With Liverpool set to appoint Slot’s former Feyenoord assistant coach, Etienne Reijnen, it seems fairly certain that the Dutchman will be staying for Wirtz’s second season at Anfield.
Salah, of course, will not be. And speaking to The Athletic ahead of the legendary winger’s farewell, Wirtz has hailed his mentality and willingness to speak honestly about failings.
“We had a good time at the restaurant,” he said of his recent dinner with Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez. “With Mo leaving, it was nice to spend some time with him.
“Mo has known the club for a long time now. He’s just an honest guy. He says what he thinks. This should be OK. If you want to speak, you should be able to speak. Of course, it was a bit of a difficult season for all of us, including Mo. In my opinion, it got made bigger than it was. I don’t think he attacked anyone.”
Asked if his, and other players’, decision to ‘like’ Salah’s post should be seen as them siding with their teammate over Slot, Wirtz dismissed such a suggestion.
“No, nothing like that,” said the German. “I like Mo’s mentality in general, how he sees things, how he works. He’s a guy you can listen to because he has seen a lot.
“He wasn’t attacking anyone. With the ‘likes’ players gave, I think it was made too big. For me, it was just a thing that he wanted to say because he’s leaving. He wanted to make everyone in the club alert that we have to work more and do better.”
Liverpool players still behind Slot – Wirtz
While Wirtz’s explanation seems reasonable, there will still be many fans who feel the players have stopped playing for Slot. But this is something Liverpool’s No. 7 also makes a point of pushing back on.
Should Arne Slot drop Mohamed Salah from the squad to face Brentford? 👀
A sour end could be in store…
According to Wirtz, there is no issue at all between the squad and the head coach, with the 23-year-old claiming that the perception of the outside world is completely different from the day-to-day reality.
“The outside world is always trying to create something between the team and the manager,” he said. “But it’s totally different in this building.
“We are working well every day with this manager and his staff. There is no thought about not being behind the manager. This is just something (talked about) on the outside.”
Salah clearly feels somewhat differently, of that there can be no denying, but once the Egyptian King has left his throne this Sunday, perhaps Slot will feel he can start a fresh slate with the likes of Wirtz, who will be crucial to Liverpool getting back on track in 2026/27.
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