Former England manager Sam Allardyce has launched a blistering attack on ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, labelling his recent comments about Mohamed Salah as 'absolutely pathetic'. The row erupted after Carragher suggested the Egyptian star's 'legs have gone' following a dip in form this season.
Allardyce's Furious Podcast Retort
Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast, Allardyce did not hold back in his criticism of the Sky Sports pundit. 'Enough is enough. He should know better,' Allardyce stated. He questioned the logic behind Carragher's assertion, pointing out that Salah had a full summer break. 'How can his legs go from what he did last year, having the summer off, and then his legs go this year? How is that possible? It doesn't happen overnight,' Allardyce argued.
The former Bolton and West Ham boss emphasised that Carragher has no insider knowledge of Salah's condition. 'How can he know? He doesn't train with him, he doesn't see him train. He sees him play, and he might not be doing very well, but that's like a lot of the Liverpool players.' Allardyce accused Carragher of making sensationalist statements to stay relevant, claiming he was good at 'throwing a bit of, you know, 'popularity' out there. To keep himself at the forefront.'
Carragher's Original Comments and Salah's Season
Carragher made his controversial remarks ahead of Liverpool's 2-0 victory over West Ham on Sunday, a match for which new manager Arne Slot dropped Salah from the starting lineup. It was the second consecutive game the forward started on the bench, having also been left out against Sunderland the previous Wednesday.
Analysing Liverpool's core players from their 2018 peak under Jurgen Klopp, Carragher said: 'The catalyst for Liverpool at the very start of the run in 2018 with Jurgen Klopp was Alisson, [Virgil] van Dijk and Salah... You see Van Dijk now, he's not the same player, and Mo Salah looks like his legs have gone.' This season, Salah has scored five goals and provided three assists in 18 appearances, a return below his usual prolific standards.
A History of Punditry Controversy
This is not the first time Carragher has faced backlash for his punditry this season. In October, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand reignited a war of words over Carragher's past criticism of Casemiro. Ferdinand had previously called Carragher's advice for the Brazilian to 'leave football before football leaves you' as 'very disrespectful' to a five-time Champions League winner.
The latest spat highlights the intense scrutiny and often polarising opinions that surround high-profile football punditry, especially concerning the form of a global star like Mohamed Salah during a transitional period for Liverpool.
