Over the winter, following another disappointing last minute defeat, Mohamed Salah publicly called out manager Arne Slot for perceived slights, as well as aiming his ire at the club as a whole.
Salah then jettisoned away for the AFCON tournament with Egypt, and there was never a true paramount reconciliation moment. Instead, upon his return, it was reported he and Slot had spoken and cleared things up.
The Egyptian was restored to the lineup and things appeared to be back on track, at least in that regard.
The goals and results, however, did not follow suit. Liverpool have continued to play an unattractive and inconsistent brand of football down the stretch of this season. It's because of this that many have been calling for the sacking of the Dutch coach just a year removed from winning the Premier League.
Following yet another disappointing defeat on Friday, this time away to fellow Top 5 side Aston Villa, Salah voiced frustrations on social media that many fans, myself included, have been thinking for awhile now.
Not the Liverpool standard
We'll get into more of what Salah said, but one of the big things that stood out to me was about what the expectation should be at a club like this.
"Winning some games here and there is not what Liverpool should be about. All teams win games. 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."
He would continue; "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."
I found no lies in any of this from Salah. He is absolutely correct in that the very bare minimum for this club is UCL qualification, something we have yet to do by the way, pending results on the final day of the season.
His subtle shot at the patchy form shown by the Reds this entire season, where it has felt like one step forward followed by four steps back, is valid. Getting an occasional bright result is not enough.
Slot has not done enough. The players have not done enough. There has been some bad luck with injuries for sure, but as a whole, there has been plenty of star talent on the pitch that has not performed like it.
Bring back the football music
During his post, Salah referenced several homages to the previous regime under Jurgen Klopp and spoke intently of what needs to be brought back to the club.
He would mention the style of play as a key thing that needed to be revamped. Once again, a not so subtle jab at Slot's tactics.
Salah said; "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."
One of the biggest critiques of Arne Slot has been his lack of a clear tactical identity and philosophy.
We know he wants his side to have more of the ball, but the lifeless brand we have seen for most of this season is not the solution. There are many world class attackers at the club right now that have seemingly been shackled for long stretches.
Liverpool have gone from being on the front foot from the opening kick, to letting other teams, even supposedly inferior ones, dictate the action and grow into games.
Getting back to the intense pressing and attack-minded style would suit a lot of players currently here, and would be a welcome change from what we have seen this campaign.
Tough parting words, but necessary
With only one match remaining in his Liverpool career, following the announcement he would be leaving the club on a free transfer this summer after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract a year early, Salah is in a place where he can say the truth without any real backlash on the pitch.
He also said will do everything to ensure we get into next season's Champions League, so hopefully Slot still gives him a chance to show what he can do in the finale against Brentford.
While there might be a pocket of fans that think Mo is out of line for this and it dampens his legacy, I think that is not at all the case.
If anything, to me, this shows he still cares and wants the very best for Liverpool Football Club. He knows the position of renown and legacy that his 257 goals in Red have afforded him. He is using that platform to hopefully inspire a positive change after he is gone.
As I mentioned above, he is also not really wrong in anything he said. There were also several current players that liked the post, so it is an obvious sentiment in the locker room as well.
While it might not be the best PR move in the world, I love Salah even more for putting his voice out there and ensuring the thoughts of a lot of fans are heard and seen. King Mo indeed.
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