‘I can’t not change a player because I think there will be a story about it’: Jurgen Klopp says he will KEEP taking Mohamed Salah off if he doesn’t perform for Liverpool, despite star and his agent being unhappy
- Mohamed Salah was taken off during Liverpool’s below-par loss against Chelsea
- The Reds’ star forward was caught shaking his head in disbelief as he walked off
- Jurgen Klopp explained he won’t keep on below-par stars just to avoid headlines
- His comments have come in the wake of a cryptic tweet posted by Salah’s agent
Jurgen Klopp has insisted he will not keep below-par players on the field simply to avoid making headlines after hauling off talisman Mohamed Salah in Liverpool’s limp defeat by Chelsea.
Salah, the top-flight’s leading scorer this season, was replaced around the hour mark at Anfield on Thursday night – and the Egypt international was unable to mask his disbelief when leaving the field.
Boss Klopp has now doubled down on the surprise change, however, despite the cryptic tweet from Salah’s agent which quickly followed.
Jurgen Klopp says he won’t keep below-par players on the pitch just to avoid making headlines
‘I think he enjoys the pressure [of being top scorer],’ Klopp said.
‘He’s been outstanding again. I could have changed last night other players but it was more about who we bring on and he looked like he felt the intensity. He maybe saw it different, that’s fine.
‘We make these decisions in the moment. Then we have to explain it and you make stories. These discussions we’ve never had.
Mohamed Salah was hauled off just after hour mark in Liverpool’s drab defeat against Chelsea
‘I make the decision, the boys accept it. We all knew we came to the top together and we will sort it together. That’s our idea.
‘I cannot not change a player because I think there will be story on it.’
Liverpool crashed to their fifth consecutive loss at Anfield, the first time that unwanted record has been met in the club’s history, against Thomas Tuchel’s rejuvenated team.
They were searching for a leveller following Mason Mount’s superb opener when Salah was hooked.
Salah cut a frustrated figure in the stands but Klopp has again defended the shock substitution
Ramy Abbas Issa, Salah’s agent, quickly took to Twitter after the change to post a cryptic tweet
And as he trudged towards the dugout, Salah was caught on camera shaking his head. He cut a dejected figure in the stands during the rest of the clash.
The substitution was Salah’s earliest since the 2017-18 campaign and replacement Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was unable to rescue Liverpool from yet another setback.
Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, did nothing to play down the situation – and instead took to social media to publish his own opinion.
Bizarrely, he opted to simply post a cryptic singular full-stop, rather than expressing a clearer opinion, leading to wild speculation from concerned Reds supporters.