Mohamed Salah gets his Liverpool wish after FSG makes shock U-turn

Mohamed Salah made no secret of his concerns over Liverpool's style of play this season, and with Arne Slot sacked and Andoni Iraola appointed, the club appears to have heeded the forward's call

When Mohamed Salah speaks, the football world typically pays attention. And it's not difficult to see why. The attacker has certainly not shied away from voicing his opinions this season.

Having already suggested that he was being made a scapegoat for the Reds' disappointing results and that the club had thrown him under a bus, he then informed Liverpool's hierarchy that he was worried about standards declining once he left.

However, nobody was quite ready for what unfolded on the afternoon of Saturday, May 16, as the post-mortem into Liverpool's 4-2 loss to Aston Villa continued; Salah turned to social media to deliver a scathing critique of Liverpool's style of play and demanded a return to the "heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear".

"I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear, and back to being a team that wins trophies," he wrote.

"That is the football I know how to play and that is the identity that needs to be recovered and kept for good. It cannot be negotiable and everyone that joins this club should adapt to it. Winning some games here and there is not what Liverpool should be about. All teams win games."

The social media post was an obvious swipe at Arne Slot and his approach to the game. Notably, the post was also "liked" by Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Hugo Ekitike, Andy Robertson, Jeremie Frimpong, Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Giovanni Leoni, Calvin Ramsay and Wataru Endo, reports the Liverpool Echo.

But Salah's desire was evident. He wanted to witness the club restore the high-energy style that delivered Champions League and Premier League glory under Jurgen Klopp.

As Salah bid farewell to the Anfield crowd following the final match of the campaign against Brentford, Slot still very much retained the support of Fenway Sports Group.

That remained the case until last Saturday when, shortly after midday, the news that stunned the footballing world was announced and Slot had been dismissed following an end-of-season assessment that determined his tactical philosophy was no longer suitable.

The Dutchman, who had frequently adopted a highly pragmatic style, had only been notified hours before the decision was made public, but the club's statement emphasized that a shift in direction was necessary.

"Nevertheless, the conclusion we have come to is built on a belief that the team's trajectory is best addressed through a change of direction," a paragraph from the club statement read.

"That does not diminish the work Arne has done here, or the respect we have for him. Nor is it a reflection of his talents. Rather, it is indicative of the need for a different approach."

What Andoni Iraola then said on Thursday after he penned a two-year contract to become Liverpool's head coach would have delighted Salah.

"I think I have the advantage that I've been here already three years in the Premier League and people for sure have seen Bournemouth play," he said when asked what supporters can expect.

"There are some things that obviously we need to change coaching Liverpool. But I wouldn't like to lose our identity, the intensity, the aggressiveness, the organisation, certain things that I would like always to have in my team.

"Obviously you have to adapt to the players you have and it's not the same, one club or the other, but there are fundamentals that I also think match quite well [with] what Liverpool has been during a lot of years that I think we can make it work."

In the Premier League this season, Iraola's Bournemouth pressed higher and required fewer passes in the build-up compared to Slot's Liverpool, and fans are yearning for a return to a more attacking brand of football that will have them on the edge of their seats once more.

And while Salah, who had been pivotal to the success that brought the club the Champions League, two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup, the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup, will move on to pastures new rather than returning to Anfield after the World Cup, he will depart safe in the knowledge that his desire for the club to rediscover a "heavy metal" approach has been fulfilled.

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