Mohamed Salah’s struggle shows why no player is untouchable

abdulmanannet77@gmail.comDecember 8, 2025

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Mohamed Salah’s struggle shows why no player is untouchable

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After talking a lot off the field, Mohamed Salah returned to training with Liverpool on Sunday and Monday. It is said that the atmosphere was good – the players stood together with friendly discussions – although everyone was aware of what was happening in the air. There are a few small jokes, but most are left unsaid.

Many might joke that Salah said enough on Saturday, in words that were studied more than any Liverpool interview since Luis Suárez in the summer of 2013.

There are a few other words that might deserve some attention now, even if they come from a source that few people at Anfield would necessarily want to pay much attention to: “The one thing I could never allow was loss of control, because control was my only savior… I knew that the minute one football player started trying to run the club, we would all be finished.”

This analysis comes from Sir Alex Ferguson’s second autobiography, which looks back on Roy Keane’s abrupt departure from Manchester United in 2005.

Now I know immediately what you’re thinking: the modern media landscape is saturated with talk of United in the 1990s and 2000s.

There’s a reason these words are particularly relevant today, and it’s not just because this team was as successful as Liverpool were in the 1970s and 1980s.

Here’s why.

Ferguson is one of the most influential figures in English football history because he had an innate – and studied – understanding of what motivates players and how dressing room psychology works.

It was argued in this newsletter a few weeks ago that the “smart”, Ferguson-style move for Liverpool would have been for their forward-thinking football hierarchy to let Salah go.

Well, we can probably now understand why.

Ferguson constantly sought to avoid the possibility of a star becoming too big or staying too long, because he could foresee the problems their accumulated power would cause.

Liverpool failed to do so, and the football crisis has become a real club crisis, with immense pressure now to make another decision regarding Salah.

Even though we talk about how the game has evolved and how Liverpool have become the great poster child for embracing modernity, there are some fundamentals of football that will never change. The first is that a successful team depends on effective group psychology – something Ferguson clearly recognized. Part of it is managing stars…especially stars who are nearing the end of their tenure. That is, if this is indeed the end for Liverpool, which is now debatable.

Salah, who is clearly struggling to come to terms with a changed perception of his performance, has certainly moved closer to a farewell of sorts at Anfield.

And that comes from a different kind of disconnect.

Salah’s new summer contract wasn’t just a renewal of the club’s standout performer. It was the biggest contract Liverpool had ever awarded.

There is considerable symbolism here, made even more “striking” by the use of a literal throne for the announcement.

One argument for the renewal was that Liverpool could not let a star of his stature leave on a free transfer. But a deal like this comes with a cost of a different nature. This is a huge expense that weighs heavily on the salary budget.

As many footballers will tell you, the exact size of a salary rarely depends on the money itself; it’s about what that number represents – status.

This deal made Salah Liverpool’s absolute top dog, the golden king of the dressing room, all based on his past performances.

Yet recent performances and decisions suggest that this supposed seniority may no longer hold, at least in terms of position within the team.

Salah was one of the many players who played poorly, so he was one of the many players dropped.

As simple as that…but now wrapped in a world of other complications.

Many of these complications stem from his status as one of Liverpool’s greatest players of all time. But this status was built on a tactical framework that Arne Slot no longer has.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is gone. Jordan Henderson is gone. Most of the other strikers have left – and Salah’s response to these changes is worth considering, especially as he is also one of the figures mourning the death of Diogo Jota.

So while it was natural – even obvious – for Slot to attempt to build this new team around Salah, it should perhaps come as no surprise that the Egyptian has yet to replicate the same form, particularly at 33.

Liverpool’s worst form in 80 years coincided with Salah’s worst form in his entire time at the club.

In this context, it is only natural for the coach to try something different. So he dropped it. This contract does not guarantee a perpetual place on the team, regardless of past achievements. And it’s only three games so far.

He’s not really banished to the “bomb squad.”

Salah should understand these dynamics better than anyone. These realities partly explain why he is paid so well. He produced. As soon as you stop producing, you are at risk. It is an elite sport.

What remains so striking, however, is the nature of the response, especially at such a vulnerable time for the team, and particularly the manager.

None of this absolves Slot either. There are some good questions about how he handled the situation.

We know that, a bit like Eric Cantona or Suárez – but without their most volatile controversies – Salah requires human management adapted to his personality. Perhaps Slot could have communicated more effectively. In this sense, it is understandable that Salah talks about everything he has done for the club. It’s not necessarily about a place on the team, but how that is communicated.

But there are still only three games left.

It’s almost nothing.

Yet Salah responded by questioning everything – from his relationship with Slot and the hierarchy, to his own future and even his motivation.

This is one of the most astonishing aspects. It’s difficult to understand exactly what Salah was trying to accomplish. There are so many questions: what does he want? What does he think the outcome would be? Would he have reacted the same way if Liverpool had held Leeds away and won 3-2?

As of right now, the only conclusion that seems logical is this: This is the product of a star struggling to cope with a change in status… which raises many more questions.