This is Salah’s final season at Liverpool, as was said around a month ago, and what we are watching now feels more melancholic than beautiful. Neither Salah’s season nor Liverpool’s season has been good, and one thing is directly connected to the other. The simple fact is this: Salah has, at most, 8 games left before he leaves.
When the departure was announced, there was still that small bit of hope that he could go out with one last trophy. But that hope died in two games: the 4-0 elimination against Manchester City in the FA Cup and the 2-0 defeat to PSG in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals in Paris. Yes, there is still the second leg against PSG, but realistically, very few people truly believe in a comeback.
Against City, Salah clearly showed that he no longer has the level to keep going in this Liverpool side. And against PSG, he did not even come off the bench. That says everything.
These are melancholic tones in what was, for many years, a beautiful story. Salah was the hero so many times, won games almost by himself, carried the team through difficult moments, but that is simply not the current reality anymore. The respect remains, of course. He is one of the biggest names in the club’s history. But there also has to be acceptance of the moment.
Liverpool’s decline did not come out of nowhere either. Even last season, the team already depended too much on Salah, and now that has only become even more obvious. And then you also have a coach in Arne Slot who, in my opinion, does not really seem to know what to do with the talent he has. For me, just like Salah, he should leave at the end of the season.
There are only a few games left at Anfield, 5 to be exact, and the real question is: will there even be anything left to celebrate? Salah goals? Wins? Because Liverpool’s season has been, honestly, embarrassing. And there is still the very real risk that they might not even secure a Champions League place for next season, even with 5 spots available, especially with the race involving Chelsea, Brentford and Everton.
Conclusion
Everyone already knew the end was close. It was announced. But even with that, everything still carries this heavy, melancholic feeling. Some people thought Salah’s departure might become extra motivation, one final push to end on a high, but it changed nothing.
It is now 3 defeats in a row and the atmosphere around the club feels like complete collapse. Everything points towards this continuing until the end of the season, with only the Premier League left to play for because, being realistic, I do not believe Liverpool will turn it around against PSG in the second leg.
The end is happening, and it is far from beautiful.