Salah's Form Slump Traced to Training Clash with Alexander-Arnold
Liverpool icon Mohamed Salah has endured a challenging campaign, with the forward struggling significantly for goals and assists. However, the genesis of his downturn may lie in a controversial moment between the Egyptian and Trent Alexander-Arnold that occurred over a year ago.
The Training Ground Confrontation
Back on March 10, 2024, as Liverpool were running away with their 20th top-flight title, Salah and Alexander-Arnold were caught on camera shoving each other and squaring up during a training session. While Alexander-Arnold, who left Liverpool to join Real Madrid in the summer, looked visibly irked, Salah appeared to see the funny side. He was seen laughing in the face of his former team-mate as Ibrahima Konate and Harvey Elliott stepped in to ease any tensions.
Those close to the team claimed the coming together was light-hearted banter. The pair were even reportedly spotted around the training complex, laughing and joking—but Salah's numbers ever since tell a different story.
Salah's Dramatic Decline in Performance
Salah was instrumental for Arne Slot last season as the Reds won the Premier League. He was responsible for 57 goal contributions in all competitions, winning the PFA Players' Player of the Year for the third time, the FWA Footballer of the Year, and Premier League Player of the Season.
Yet following the incident, Salah recorded just two goals and bagged one assist in the remaining nine games of the title-winning campaign. This is compared to the 27 goals and 17 assists he had logged prior to his run-in with his team-mate. Salah signed a new two-year contract with Liverpool in May 2025, but his underwhelming numbers have continued.
While the former Roma man netted in the Reds' 2-1 loss away to Wolves on Wednesday, this season, Liverpool's talisman has scored just eight goals and recorded as many assists in all competitions. Salah did miss a chunk of Premier League action in January due to the Africa Cup of Nations, however.
Since March 10, 2024, Salah, 33, has hit just 11 goals and landed 13 assists. The winger's slump since the moment with Alexander-Arnold could also just be a mere coincidence or a wider issue related to Liverpool's poor form since winning the title.
Public Support and Mutual Respect
The relationship between Salah and Alexander-Arnold appeared rosy before and after their shoving match. Salah even leapt to the defence of the England star after sections of the Liverpool support booed Alexander-Arnold in a game against Arsenal last May, after he relayed his intentions to leave the club.
"I think somehow the fans were being harsh with him," Salah told Sky Sports. "I think he didn't deserve it at the time, he deserved the fans to treat him the best way possible because he gave it all to the fans."
"I told him yesterday don't give me eye contact in your farewell," added Salah. "I really love him. I think he deserves the best farewell leaving the club. He has done a lot for the city and done a lot for the club and he's one of probably the best players in the club's history. He gave it all. I really wish him the best. I'll always be in contact with him."
The respect was mutual as Alexander-Arnold publicly backed his ex-Liverpool teammate following Salah's controversial comments in December, after he was axed from the squad for several games. Salah shared a wordless Instagram post featuring a graphic highlighting his status as the player with the most goals and assists for a single club in Premier League history. The full-back responded to Salah's post on Instagram with a goat emoji, a nod to the Liverpool forward being the 'greatest of all time'.
