“It’s truly tragic for Liverpool as they’ve allowed West Ham to hold them to a 2-2 draw, with the team’s two most important figures, Mohamed Salah and coach Juergen Klopp, seemingly at odds.”

Outside the pitch, Klopp said something to Salah that seemed to unsettle him. It’s a scene that shouldn’t have happened, but perhaps it’s also a precursor to Klopp’s conclusion and maybe even Salah’s after this season ends.

This was a match Liverpool should have won, needed to win, and had to win against West Ham. Prior to facing West Ham, Liverpool was gradually losing steam in the title race. Last weekend, they suffered a defeat against Crystal Palace right at Anfield.

Midweek, they played terribly against Everton and suffered a 0-2 loss. Today, facing a struggling West Ham (winless in their last 4 matches, with 3 losses. Since the beginning of 2024, West Ham has only won 4 out of 20 matches, suffering 9 defeats), everyone thought Liverpool would deepen West Ham’s crisis.

The problem lies in a team with a mild crisis facing a team with a severe crisis. The result: Liverpool conceded 2 terrible goals. The center-back pairing of Quansah and Van Dijk possess impressive height but allowed Bowen and Antonio to score headers for West Ham.

This is a rare occurrence for Liverpool because everyone knows how good Van Dijk is in aerial duels, and Quansah has decent jumping ability. Unfortunately, in this period of the team’s decline, the form of Quansah and Van Dijk has also been unstable.

Quansah, in particular, has had mental issues since the draw against Man Utd where he made a mistake leading to Bruno Fernandes’ goal. Since then, Quansah has had moments of error, but no one has “punished” him like Bruno Fernandes did.

“The joy of victory now seems like a luxury for Liverpool.”

The midfield options are limited to Endo, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, with the addition of two young players Curtis Jones and Elliott. It’s too thin for a season where Liverpool has to compete on all fronts.

When these players are tired, Liverpool is vulnerable to being overrun by West Ham’s midfield, increasing pressure on the defense. This is something rare in the early stages but has become a common occurrence recently.

As for the attack, Diaz, Nunez, and Salah seem exhausted. They hardly bring any breakthrough in terms of speed, coordination, or finishing. As we’ve discussed, Nunez still wastes opportunities, while Salah seems to lack motivation.

Injuries, fixtures… have probably worn Salah down. The heated argument between the two outside the pitch surprised many. It was supposed to be a discussion to ease things. More accurately, it was an argument.

The incident escalated to the point where Darwin Nunez had to step in, tapping Salah’s shoulder, reminding him to calm down. It wasn’t too harsh, but Salah didn’t seem pleased. And rightly so, as he’s been spending more time on the bench lately and whenever he’s not effective, he gets substituted.

Fans are now waiting to see what Klopp will say about Salah’s reaction or, simply put, how he’ll explain his advice and instructions to his favorite student, who reacted so fiercely.

The relationship between Salah and Klopp is currently in an alarming state.

After this season, whether Salah still has a future at Liverpool remains uncertain. It also depends on the new manager, likely Arne Slot from Feyenoord.

He will surely propose to Liverpool’s board to secure his favorite pupil Santiago Giménez from Feyenoord and new wingers to serve the tactics and formation he plans to implement at the new club. In just over a month, Salah will turn 32, and perhaps Liverpool has already considered replacing him.

Jarrod Bowen from West Ham is the perfect choice Klopp, while in charge, has been aiming for but hasn’t succeeded in acquiring. However, Bowen’s ambition might align better with moving to Liverpool than staying at West Ham. Therefore, Liverpool may sell Salah to buy Bowen or bring in Raphinha from Barcelona.

In general, Salah’s future is in doubt because he’s getting older, and his ability to recover from injuries isn’t what it used to be. Moreover, Salah is too individualistic, and if retained, he could become a “time bomb” at Liverpool. In that case, someone new like Slot would find it very difficult to work.

Now Liverpool will look towards the new manager with new goals and ambitions. This season can be considered over for Liverpool. You could say that there’s still a chance for Liverpool to win the Premier League, but it’s really very slim.

If Arsenal and Man City both stumble, that tiny bit of hope might still exist. But even then, it’s precarious. Perhaps, we should cherish the remaining short time with Klopp at Liverpool and look forward to the 2024/25 season with more hopes and aspirations.