Jurgen Klopp has explained that Mo Salah is neither “easy” nor “hard” to manage, but in his experience, problems only arose if certain selection choices were made.
Only Roberto Firmino can claim to have played for Klopp more times than Salah, meaning the German has quite the understanding of the Egyptian and what makes him tick.
As a standard bearer with unshakeable belief in himself, Salah expects to start and play every minute of every game, it is what makes him the player he is.
However, it is also what leads to explosive comments in the media when that expectation from his manager is not met, and Klopp has taken the brunt of it one or two times himself.
“I wouldn’t say he is easy to manage, but he is also not difficult to manage,” Klopp told BBC Sport as part of an hour-long look at the Egyptian’s story.
“You [only] have problems with Mo Salah if he is not playing or you take him off.”
You do not have to look back far for an example, with the trip to West Ham in May 2024 seeing the two trade words when Salah was to be introduced from the bench.
“There’s going to be a fire today if I speak,” Salah told reporters as he declined media requests after that game.
Klopp: ‘Salah will be remembered as one of the greatest’
Speaking further on Salah, the admiration Klopp holds for the Egyptian is clear, with his relentless mindset ensuring the pair enjoyed success together.
“We are all massively influenced by our past – how we were raised, where we grew up,” Klopp added.
“Mo knew early on [in his life] that he had to do more than others. He always developed. He never stops. That is his mindset.
“After each summer break he came back and had a new skill. It was like he had spent the whole time just practising one particular type of pass.
“We pushed each other, just to make sure that we would never stop. And we never did stop. That moment lifting the Premier League bonded us for life.
“He will be remembered as one of the greatest of all time.”