Firmino book reveals Salah-Mane tensions at Liverpool،
Roberto Firmino has revealed tensions between Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah during the trio’s stay at Liverpool.
Firmino, who left Liverpool last summer after a trophy-laden eight-year spell at Anfield, said he played the role of “fireman” between the pair when they formed one of the most successful attacking partnerships most devastating attacks in Europe – seen most publicly when Mané was angry. on the bench against Burnley in 2019 shortly after Salah failed to pass him the ball for an easy strike.
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“I knew these guys very well, perhaps better than anyone,” Firmino wrote in his book “Sí Señor: My Liverpool Years”. “It was me on the pitch, right in the middle of them. I saw with my own eyes the looks, the grimaces, the body language, the dissatisfaction when one was angry with the other. I I could feel it. I was the link between them in our offensive game and the fireman in those moments.
“For many, this disagreement [against Burnley in August 2019] between Sadio and Mo, it was the first; for some, the first and the last. But I knew it had been brewing since the previous season, 2018-19. My instinct and duty was to defuse the situation between them. Pour water on the fire, never gasoline.”
Mane left Liverpool in 2022 to join Bayern Munich, but left a year later to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr. Firmino also moved to Saudi Arabia, joining Al Ahli as a free agent.
Salah remains at Liverpool, with 10 goals in 15 games in all competitions this season, despite Liverpool rejecting a £150 million ($190 million) bid from Al Ittihad last summer.
Firmino continued: “They were never best friends; everyone kept to themselves. It was rare to see them talk and I don’t know if that had to do with the rivalry between Egypt and Senegal in the African competitions. I’m really not sure. I don’t know. But they never stopped talking, never broke ties. They always acted with the utmost professionalism.
“I never took sides. That’s why they love me: I always passed the ball to both, my preference was for the team to win. Many focus on what I I brought to the attacking trio in tactical terms, but perhaps just as important was the human aspect. element: my role as peacemaker, unifier. If I didn’t do that, it would just be storms between the two of them on the ground.
“Maybe that’s why I was replaced by Klopp most often. The three of us had very different personalities and the boss knew I wouldn’t throw a bottle on the floor or anything like that. If I was bothered, I would speak up,” he told her privately afterwards. When a replacement was needed, it was easier to remove Bobby than to upset either of the other two.
“Everyone, including the other players, knew that that’s how it worked. It was the worst kept secret at Liverpool – naturally, no one ever asked me what I thought or what I felt. It’s just my nature; the team comes first. I knew it.”
