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Liverpool's iconic former skipper Steven Gerrard called Mohamed Salah's social media broadside against the Merseyside club a "damning" reflection of Arne Slot's standing within the dressing room.
Rather than sharing his personal take on an explosive post that described Slot's side as a "crumbling" club needing to return to being "the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear," Gerrard chose to read between the lines. Not everyone has been so measured in their response.
Salah's remarkable criticism of Liverpool's current playing philosophy follows his mid-season dig at Slot after the Dutch manager dropped him to the bench. The manager and player appeared to have reached an uneasy truce during the second half of the campaign, but as Salah prepares for his final Liverpool outing next Sunday, he felt the need to urge the club to revisit the approach that brought such tremendous success under Slot's predecessor, Jürgen Klopp.
"It cannot be negotiable and everyone that joins this club should adapt to it," Salah argued.
For many neutral observers, the widespread reaction to Salah's outburst has been one of immediate disapproval. How can a player fire off demands to his soon-to-be-former employers about how they should play in his absence? Even if Salah were remaining on Merseyside, some might question what influence he should have over the team's tactical approach given his role as a player rather than a manager.
Yet, there has been a notably different and far more sympathetic response to Salah's pointed words from Liverpool's fanbase—and even some members of the squad.
Steven Gerrard Reveals Meaning Behind Salah's Slot Takedown
"Wow," was Gerrard's immediate reaction to the incendiary post. Once the retired midfielder had collected his thoughts, he explained to TNT Sports how Salah was not merely taking a bitter swipe at Slot, but was using his platform to expose what he believes is a deep divide within Liverpool's dressing room.
"Mo Salah doesn't really speak much, and he doesn't tweet, and he certainly doesn't tweet like that," Gerrard astutely observed.
"So I think that he's sending a message to the outside that things in that Liverpool dressing room are not right: the identity's gone, and it's really hurting him to see it in front of his own eyes.
"I'm surprised of the timing. One game to go, his last game for Liverpool," Gerrard added. "That is quite damning to the Liverpool manager and the staff in terms of where this team's at. That's my opinion on that.
"Is he speaking off his own back for the sake of everyone else in the dressing room? It's strange, it's unusual."
Whether this sentiment was widely shared across Liverpool's squad was hinted at by the players' reactions on social media.
Liverpool Players 'Like' Salah Social Post
Salah's Instagram post garnered more than 950,000 'likes' within the first 24 hours of going live. Among those countless interactions, a surprisingly high number of current Liverpool players were seen to have hearted this scathing attack directed at their own club.
The likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké, Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones all liked Salah's post, as reported by ESPN. While it comes as little surprise that departing figures such as Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté rallied behind their teammate's frustrations, several players expected to have long-term futures at Anfield publicly endorsed a statement that openly criticized their current employers.
It's worth noting that a social media like does not constitute a formal endorsement from any Liverpool player. Many athletes don't personally manage their own accounts, and even those who do may not have carefully read through Salah's lengthy statement. Nevertheless, it hardly paints a flattering picture for a club that appears so publicly committed to standing by Slot in the face of mounting pressure.
Social Media Reaction to Salah's Outburst Exposes Slot's Tenuous Status
While nuance is difficult to find in the social media era, the dominant reaction among Liverpool supporters to Salah's tirade has been one of understanding.
Salah effectively voiced a grievance that many fans have expressed throughout a truly dismal Premier League title defense: results can never be guaranteed in a sport as unpredictable as soccer, but the manner of Liverpool's struggles this season has been too uninspiring for many to stomach.
We embarrass ourselves in a public manner on a weekly basis though, that's kinda why Salah is saying what he's saying.
In a contest between Salah, Liverpool's third all-time leading scorer who has claimed two Premier League titles and reached three Champions League finals, and Slot, whose league title success has been offset by a painfully sterile style of play, there is only one obvious winner in the eyes of the supporters.
Salah: I want the standards to remain high, Liverpool to play good football that the opposition fears, and to be regularly competing for trophies
English media: Drop him. This is a declaration of war. Fans will turn on him.
And they wonder why they're losing jobs to fan media. https://t.co/K9Qz5WDIfR
Liverpool as an institution reportedly retain considerable faith in Slot. Should he remain in charge into next season, Jamie Carragher has predicted a shift in attitude from the supporters.
"The Liverpool support will be there for him next year," the legendary retired defender told Sky Sports ahead of Friday night's collapse against Aston Villa. "I don't think it's there now.
"As a support, whoever puts on that red shirt, or is in that dugout at the start of the season, you support them. There's been a lot of frustration throughout the season, the performances and results haven't improved for a long time now. That's the big worry with the Arne Slot in the eyes of the supporters."