Mohamed Salah delivers subtle dig at manager Arne Slot in 'painful' Liverpool statement

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a] were beaten [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/aston-villa-W00wmLO0/liverpool-lId4TMwf/?mid=AyZEYQVH"]4-2[/a] by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/aston-villa/W00wmLO0/"]Aston Villa[/a] on Friday night, as pressure continued to intensify on Arne Slot in the Anfield dugout. [/p][p]A dismal night brought rare positives for the Reds, but [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/salah-mohamed/08FBycgB/"]Salah[/a]'s return to action after missing the last two games through injury was one of the few highlights. [/p][p]The Egyptian came off the bench for the final 16 minutes at Villa Park, replacing the anonymous [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gakpo-cody/pWyuBud0/"]Cody Gakpo[/a], but even his introduction couldn't help the visitors turn the tide. [/p][p]Salah is desperate to stop that possibility from happening, issuing a statement to the fans on social media after another "painful" defeat against Villa, urging the Reds to return to the "heavy metal" football that they played under Jurgen Klopp.[/p][embed guid="07679744-f66f-4672-9062-110a3879bb72" url="https://x.com/MoSalah/status/2055661083851903174" social-type="twitter" /][p]"I have witnessed this club go from doubters to believers, and from believers to champions. It took hard work and I always did everything I could to help the club get there. Nothing makes me prouder than that," Salah said.[/p][p]"[b]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[/b].[/p][p]"[b]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[/b]. [/p][p]"[b]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[/b].[/p][p]"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."[/p][image alt="Salah Premier League stats this season" id="94cb1f74-c694-4ddb-beea-af78e466cb87" credit-line="Peter Powell / EPA / Profimedia / Opta by StatsPerform" guid="050093c5-6bb2-4fc9-9e82-18ebe69e8514" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]Slot's men have now conceded a record 52 goals in a single 38-game Premier League campaign, and if they aren't careful, they could miss out on Champions League football. [/p][p]Wins for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brighton/2XrRecc3/"]Brighton[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bournemouth/OtpNdwrc/"]Bournemouth[/a] in their final two games and defeat for Liverpool against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brentford/xYe7DwID/"]Brentford[/a] would see the Reds drop down to seventh. [/p]