Mohamed Salah's comments that Liverpool are 'crumbling' are 'quite damning' towards manager Arne Slot, says former captain Steven Gerrard

Departing club legend Salah called for the return of the "heavy metal" football made famous under Slot's predecessor Jurgen Klopp after another Premier League defeat.

Salah's comments come a day after Liverpool fell to a 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa on Friday, a result which could prove damaging to their hopes of qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League.

"I have witnessed this club go from doubters to believers, and from believers to champions. It took hard work and I always did everything I could to help the club get there. Nothing makes me prouder than that," Salah wrote on X.

"Us crumbling to yet another defeat this season was very painful and not what our fans deserve. 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.

"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."

TNT Sports pundit Gerrard called Salah's comments "extremely interesting" and said they do not reflect well on Slot.

"Mo Salah doesn't really speak much, he doesn't really tweet, and he certainly doesn't tweet like that," Gerrard said. "So I think that he's sending a message to the outside that things in that Liverpool dressing room are not right, the identity's gone and it's really hurting him to see it in front of his own eyes.

"I'm surprised, the timing, one game to go, his last game for Liverpool. He very rarely speaks, he's done it lately because he's bringing the curtain down on an incredible Liverpool career. But that is quite damning to the Liverpool manager and the staff in terms of where this team's at."

Gerrard added that it is "unusual for a Liverpool player" and "unusual for Mo Salah" to speak out in the manner the forward did.

Slot’s side are four points clear of Bournemouth in sixth ahead of their final match of the season, but the in-form Cherries do have a game in hand - Andoni Iraola's team face Manchester City at home and Nottingham Forest away in their final two fixtures.

Brighton & Hove Albion, who take on Leeds United and Manchester United, could also leapfrog The Reds into fifth place, but they would have to win both of their remaining fixtures and hope Liverpool lose on the final day.

Liverpool will go head-to-head with Brentford at Anfield on the final day of the 2025/26 campaign.

"Winning some games here and there is not what Liverpool should be about. All teams win games," Salah added.

"Liverpool will always be a club that means a great deal to me and to my family. I want to see it succeed for long after I have moved on.

"As I’ve always said, qualifying to next season’s Champions League is the bare minimum and I will do everything I can to make that happen."

Salah confirmed in March that he would leave the club in the summer, ending his nine-year spell at Anfield.

Joe Hart said that Salah's comments "put a lot of pressure on the next person doing an interview to represent Liverpool."

And Joe Cole added the comments seem "quite barbed towards the manager" and that he thinks "it puts a dampener on" Salah's last game.

The Egypt international has scored 257 goals in 441 appearances across all competitions for Liverpool, putting him third on the club's all-time leading goalscorers' chart behind Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285).

Salah joined Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017 and played a key role in re-establishing the club as one of the best in Europe.

With Klopp as manager, Salah and Liverpool won one Premier League title, the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, the FA Cup and two League Cups. Salah picked up his second league title under Slot in 2025.

After scoring 34 goals and providing 23 assists last term, Salah has struggled for form this campaign with 12 goals and nine assists in 40 games.

Before announcing his departure from Liverpool, there had been rumours of tension between Salah and Slot about the forward's place in the team.

Salah had missed Liverpool's last two Premier League games with a thigh injury but returned for the game against Aston Villa, coming off the bench to play the final 16 minutes.

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