After their altercation on the pitch during the match against West Ham, the tension has not subsided between Jürgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah.
Could this be more than just a poor performance? Already in a precarious position since their defeat (2-0) in the derby against Everton on Tuesday (the club’s first since 2010), Liverpool likely said goodbye to their slim and last hopes for the title this Saturday.
Victory was crucial to catch up with Arsenal and Manchester City, but the scoreboard at London Stadium showed a 2-2 draw at the final whistle.
Trailing the Cityzens by one point (with two games in hand) and the Gunners by two (with one game in hand) with three rounds left in the championship, the Reds won’t catch up. They’ve lost everything in just a few days: the Premier League, but also the Europa League and FA Cup.
One might almost forget their League Cup victory last February against Chelsea – a small consolation prize for Jürgen Klopp’s final months at the helm of the English club.
Salah: “If I speak, there will be fire”
The end of these nine years is not easy. Likely frustrated by the impending draw on Saturday, frayed nerves finally snapped. The scene unfolded at the edge of the field. Right after Antonio’s equalizer, Klopp sent Salah, Nunez, and Gomez into the fray.
The origin of the fire is still unknown, but suddenly the tone escalated between the German coach and his Egyptian striker. Darwin Nunez even had to calm his teammate before he entered the game.
The story could have ended there, but the tension didn’t subside after the final whistle. Walking through the mixed zone in front of journalists who wanted his reaction, according to Fichajes, the Egyptian moved on, saying: “If I speak, there will be fire.” “There will be fire?” a member of the press replied. “Yes, of course.”
Klopp had just announced in the press conference that the incident was closed. “We’ve already spoken in the locker room. For me, it’s over. That’s my impression.” Clearly not for everyone.
