Jim Boardman and Jay Reid are back with a new episode of Scouser Tommies on Anfield Index, to discuss a week when nothing happened at Liverpool FC. Except, of course, the media storm that erupted after Mohamed Salah dropped a bombshell in the mixed zone following that disappointing 3-3 draw against Leeds.
It's clear that the discussion is no longer just about the pitch, but the dugout, but as far as the games are concerned there are two to discuss. That chaotic 3-3 draw at Elland Road and the crucial, morale-boosting 1-0 Champions League win in Milan against Inter. Jay aptly describes the victory as a "Rafa Benitez-esque, European-away performance", a rare positive in an otherwise awful spell of form.
A win very few of us were expecting, a draw most of us could see coming once injury time started, and a conversation that should have been had behind closed doors instead of feeding the hungry and generally nasty media. The good, the bad and the ugly in a matter of days.
As Jim argues, Salah’s feeling of being unfairly singled out may stem from the fact that his benching was the only major change Arne Slot made during the awful run of form. This podcast has consistently questioned why Slot is failing to make tactical tweaks and sticking with underperforming players. Salah was one of those mentioned over the course of this disappointing season too, but he certainly wasn’t the only one. The run has been so bad that Liverpool have run out of room for errors now in the league.
It seems to have taken Mo's outburst (what Steven Gerrard called the emotional 'head loss' and said he himself can relate to) to get the head coach to finally use the full-backs for width and pair two of the summer's new strikers on the same pitch AT THE SAME TIME! Jay suggests this new, more natural system, which worked so well against Inter Milan, is what the club has been "crying out for all season". Ironically, this system could be key to getting more out of Salah, although he’s only around for one more game now - if selected - before he disappears for AFCON until the new year.
The media machine has wasted no time in weaponizing the situation, creating a "hero and villain" narrative and, in the eyes of the hosts, attempting to casually cancel arguably the club's greatest modern forward. They do it because the algorithm tells them to, not because it helps anyone at the club. Fans care about their club, and as such fans have to avoid getting dragged into this world of toxic extremes.
The outrage, as it almost always does, completely overlooks the more nuanced, real-life reaction from the players Mo shares the dressing room with. As Jim and Jay stress, the response from teammates like Alisson Becker, Andy Robertson, and Virgil van Dijk, all of whom spoke of Salah as a friend, is far more telling than the "hastily cut-together rehash" at least one outlet put out to try and make it sound like his teammates had turned on him.
Despite the drama, the focus must shift back to winning. The Inter Milan performance showed "green shoots of a potential change in shape", proving that invention is possible. The next few weeks leading into the new year are deemed absolutely crucial by the hosts. Despite Liverpool currently boasting a mid-table goal difference of zero in the league, Jim and Jay emphasize the urgent need to quietly rack up the wins, to discretely climb the table, and if for nothing more than a bit of peace on earth over Christmas, get back above the noisy neighbours before the stockings go up.
The solution, the hosts conclude, is simple: stop letting outside noise dictate the narrative, iron out the differences behind closed doors, work together, and for everyone at Liverpool FC to put the football first.
