Allardyce slams Mo Salah over reaction to being subbed v Forest

Sam Allardyce has accused Mo Salah of ‘behaving like a big baby’ after his reaction to being substituted in Liverpool’s win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

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After being called ashored by Arne Slot in the 77th minute at the City Ground with the score at 0-0, the Egyptian winger was seen laughing on the subs’ bench and shaking his head in disbelief, with the 33-year-old seemingly not taking his withdrawal too well.

A frustrating afternoon for our number 11 by the River Trent has now seem him go nine Premier League matches without scoring, a run stretching back to the 2-0 victory against Aston Villa nearly four months ago (albeit incorporating his involvement at the Africa Cup of Nations).

Allardyce hits out at ‘big baby’ Salah over reaction to being subbed

Allardyce was critical of Salah over his reaction to being subbed on Sunday and implored the forward to take up any issues he may have with his head coach in private, rather than engaging in public displays of apparent insubordination.

Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, the former top-flight manager said: “Mohamed Salah needs to bite the bullet, sit down, and make sure he starts scoring. Stop blaming Arne Slot when it’s your own fault that you’re not scoring and getting taken off. He can’t be disappointed with being taken off when he’s not scoring or creating.

“It seems like some sort of mental block, because it’s not just a spell anymore, it’s the whole season. It’s a worry for Liverpool and for him. He needs to stop displaying his dislike for the situation on the pitch. Go and knock on the manager’s door and take it up there. Don’t do it in front of everyone; he’s behaving like a big baby.”

Salah was poor on Sunday, but Allardyce jibe is over the top

Salah’s legendary status at Anfield is long since intact, but even his biggest cheerleaders would acknowledge that Slot was justified in taking him off against Forest, with the Egyptian not having any real impact on proceedings during his 77 minutes on the pitch.

As per Sofascore, he failed to win any of his duels or even record a shot, completed just 72% of his passes, didn’t attempt a single dribble and was dribbled past twice; and his largely anonymous display was later compounded by the eye-catching impact made by his late replacement Rio Ngumoha.

The 33-year-old has a track record for expressing his displeasure at being substituted, and no player is bigger than any team or club, although his reaction on Sunday strikes us as a mere storm in a teacup.

It wasn’t as though Salah was flinging water bottles in disgust or angrily ripping off his shirt and berating Slot – he simply looked bemused on the bench, and it’s not as if he’s the only footballer in the world who doesn’t take kindly to being taken off.

Allardyce is correct in advising the Egyptian to address any concerns with his head coach in private, but to brand him a ‘big baby’ over what happened at the City Ground is a tad melodramatic from the former Everton boss.