Ruud Gullit thinks Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah should have bitten his tongue instead of speaking his mind after being in âawfulâ form.
After three consecutive starts on the bench, Salah lost his mind and claimed Liverpool had âthrown him under the busâ.
Salah spoke to journalists in the mixed zone at Elland Road after the Redsâ 3-3 draw away to Leeds United.
There has been lots of reaction to Salahâs bombshell interview, with Jamie Carragher strongly criticising the Egyptian winger on Monday evening.
What should Liverpool do with Salah?
- Do they sell to Saudi Arabia?
- Do they brush this all under the carpet?
- Do they wait it out for an apology that will never come?
- Or should they sack Arne Slot and bow down to Salah?
The latest to say Salah was wrong for criticising the club and head coach Arne Slot â the timing of what he said, and the manner in which he said it â is Dutch football legend Gullit.
Reflecting on his own grievances as a player, Gullit explained that he bit his tongue after being dropped for a Champions League final because he was putting the team first.
âWhat is the motivation for it?â Gullit said on beIN Sports. âYou want to leave? Look, the point is thisâĻ I have been in the same situation as him with Milan. Same situation.
âI didnât play in a Champions League final against Marseille, nothing. I didnât say anything.
âWhy? Because my team still has to play. Still the players have to play, so I have to keep my mouth shut for them.
âThat is the wrong thing, you should keep it to yourself and then you have to deal with it. Not with the press, not before a match (against Inter) that is very important to everyone.â
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Host Richard Keys then suggested that Salah had âearned the rightâ to speak his mind, but Gullit couldnât disagree more.
âNo, no, no! Did he play well the last couple of weeks? Heâs been awful, he plays awful,â he replied.
âHe didnât play well for a reason and the only thing, in the studio here, they all defended Mo Salah and it was not the right thing to do. It was not. Especially when you donât play well.
âNow, if the team is playing well without Mo Salah, your trumps are over.
âWhy wasnât he playing well? I donât know, you would have to ask him.â
Salahâs form lost him the right to speak his mind
Gullit is absolutely spot on. It was only three games on the bench, one of which he came on at half-time, and Salahâs form has been so poor that his dropping was overdue.
Sure, he hasnât been the worst Liverpool player this season, but his standards have probably slipped more than anyone elseâs.
Ibrahima Konate hasnât been dropped yet despite several calamitous performances, Milos Kerkez has been consistently selected over Andy Robertson, and Cody Gakpo has been underperforming on the left wing.
Salah being dropped wasnât personal; it was tactical. Slot wanted more defensive solidity and he dropped his biggest defensive liability. Has it worked? Not massively. But they do look less fragile defensively.
The 33-year-old might have thought he was starting a war he would easily win. He has more credit in the bank than Slot and has done more for Liverpool.
But whatever he was trying to do has fallen flat on its face, unless he was trying to tarnish his legacy and move to another club.
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