One former Premier League winner has offered a refreshing take on the touchline row between Mo Salah and Jurgen Klopp in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at West Ham on Saturday and shared his advice on what he’d do if it happened at his club.
Christian Fuchs – a member of Leicester’s title-winning class of 2016 – is now the assistant coach of MLS outfit Charlotte FC, and he actually seemed pleased to witness the disagreement, a stark contrast to the numerous pundits who’ve condemned the Egyptian’s role in that incident.
The 38-year-old told Sky Sports: “To be quite frank, I want my players to be upset if they are not playing and left out of the starting XI. For me, that’s a good indicator that they care, that they want to play. It honestly happens all the time and it’s definitely nothing.
“Salah wants to play and he’s obviously not happy by coming off the bench. I don’t want players that are just there to do their time and have nothing to say. I want players that have an opinion and show emotions. It shows that Salah and Klopp are passionate. They care about what they are doing.”
In terms of how he’d handle a similar situation, Fuchs advised: “What I would do as a coach right now is [say], ‘Right, it happened. Let’s sit down, have a coffee or a cup of tea, talk about the legacy that we created together’. Shake hands, get on with it. The next game is the most important one, so let’s quieten everybody who has doubts.”
While the optics of what happened on the touchline on Saturday weren’t pretty, the Austrian makes a fair point in saying that he’d have been more annoyed if Salah looked apathetic in that moment.
He’s also right in encouraging the two protagonists to talk out any lingering differences in the coming days so that, by the time Liverpool face Tottenham next Sunday, the air is cleared and the Egyptian can finish the season strongly after a mediocre few weeks by his world-class standards.
You can view Fuchs’ comments in full below, via @SkySportsPL on X:
"To be quite frank, I want my players to be upset if they are not playing"
Christian Fuchs says the touchline words between Mohamed Salah and Jurgen Klopp show they are 'passionate and care about what they are doing' at Liverpool
pic.twitter.com/TXTIP04aRw
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 30, 2024
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!