Mohamed Salah says Liverpool must return to being a "heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear" after "crumbling" to a defeat at Aston Villa which left their Champions League hopes in the balance.

Egypt forward Salah, 33, will leave Liverpool at the end of the season after helping the club to six major trophies in nine years at the club, including two Premier League titles and the Champions League.

But, before his final match, the Reds are not yet assured of a top-five finish which would guarantee a place in Europe's elite club competition next season at the end of a trophyless campaign.

In calling for a return to the high-octane approach of former manager Jurgen Klopp, Salah appeared to criticise head coach Arne Slot by saying their identity under the German, who left in 2024, must be "recovered and kept for good".

Salah, who has scored 257 goals for Liverpool, said a return to their former way of playing "cannot be negotiable".

Dutchman Slot said this week that he has "every reason to believe" he will remain in charge at Anfield despite a disappointing season, and the club's hierarchy have not indicated that they are considering replacing him this summer.

But fan discontent only continued to grow after the 4-2 loss to Aston Villa on Friday night - their 19th defeat of the season - with many supporters in the away end leaving before full-time at Villa Park.

"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 on social media.

"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.

"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."

Salah, who announced his decision to leave Anfield in March, told reporters in December that his relationship with head coach Slot had broken down.

The winger, winner of a record four Premier League Golden Boot awards, scored 29 times in the 2024-25 Premier League as the Reds won the title in Slot's first season in charge.

But he has been unable to match the heights of last term, finding the net just 12 times in 40 games across all competitions this season before his final game against Brentford next Sunday.

It was under previous manager Klopp that Liverpool were associated with "heavy metal" football - a term the German used to describe his high-energy, counter-pressing style of play.

"Winning some games here and there is not what Liverpool should be about. All teams win games," Salah said.

"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.

"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."

Below Salah's post, Liverpool team-mates Curtis Jones and Hugo Ekitike commented with applauding and handshake emojis respectively.

In addition, the post has been liked by team-mates Andrew Robertson, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Jeremie Frimpong, Wataru Endo, teenage Italian defender Giovanni Leoni and Harvey Elliott, who is currently on loan at Aston Villa.

Former captain Jordan Henderson, defender Trent Alexander-Arnold and forward Roberto Firmino, key players during Klopp's tenure, have also shown support for Salah's words.

Reds left-back Robertson, who will also leave the club this summer, wrote similarly on Instagram: "A performance which sums up our season. A long way short of the levels of this club and what you rightly expect of us."

On a personal note, he added: "But I can only thank you for the last nine years of travelling up and down the country and all over the world packing out away ends wherever we go! Will see you next week for one last time."

Former Feyenoord boss Slot has suggested the summer transfer window will be critical for him.

Speaking about supporter frustration after Friday's defeat, he said: "I think then they are underestimating what a window can do, what a new start can do, and I think we know quite well what to improve.

"I think one of the things we have to improve is also very, very, very obvious, and I would have preferred not to talk about it here, but you're actually almost forcing me to.

"If you miss nine players that can start a game of football, and almost all of them are starters for us or have been for large part of the season, then if you add that to what you can improve in a window and add that to players that are playing for the second season in the Premier League, that will automatically lead to much more."

(BBC)

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