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Salah vs Klopp head-to-head clash "Why did they fight? If it turns out, it's going to get worse."
Liverpool's two pillars collided greatly. The conflict is deeper than I thought.
Liverpool drew 2-2 against West Ham United in the 35th round of the 2023-2024 Premier League at London Stadium on the 27th (Korea time).
Liverpool, which was aiming to win the Premier League, is now in the third place. It has four points against Manchester City, which is in second place, and five points against Arsenal, which are in first place. Manchester City is leading the ranking battle by playing one game less than Liverpool and Arsenal.
Liverpool struggled, conceding the first goal to West Ham. They barely escaped defeat after a fierce battle.
However, the bigger issue than the outcome of the game was the altercation between Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah. On this day, Klopp excluded Salah from the starting list. Salah, who leads the team in goals and help with 17 goals and nine assists in the Premier League alone, was hurt in his pride.
34 mins in the second half. With a 2-2 tie, Klopp is ready to bring in Salah as a replacement.
There was a conflict here. On the bench off the ground, Klopp said a word to Salah first.
Salah was angry at Klopp's words. He could hardly control his deduction point. As a result, his teammate Darwin Núñez was able to stop him.
The scene was revealed intact through a local relay camera. Conflicts between coaches and players do not occur easily in sports. In addition, Klopp and Salah worked together for seven years in Liverpool.
They both had Liverpool's heyday. They also lifted the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, and various cup competitions.
The claim caused a lot of controversy because the two had never had a disagreement. Immediately after the game, reporters also focused their questions on Klopp and Salah.
First Klopp said, "I won't answer why I fought with Salah. We already had a conversation about the incident in the locker room. And that was it." His expression was stiff.
Salah didn't open his mouth either. But his nuance and attitude were different from those of Klopp. He said, "If you talk about the incident today (on the 29th), it will get bigger. I can't say it. Of course, I can't say it. If you talk about it, it will go crazy." There was a bone in what he said.
The Sun, a British media outlet, explained why Klopp and Salah fought. "Salah was annoyed after he was left out of the game against West Ham. Klopp puts a lot of importance on communication before he needs to be replaced. He usually talks a lot with his replacement. But Salah rejected this conversation. In response, Klopp said, "The coach is angry, too."
After the match, Klopp and Salah headed to the locker room without shaking hands or hugging each other. This was in contrast to how the two greeted West Ham's enemy, coach Davis Moyes.