Mohamed Salah states that qualifying Liverpool for next season’s Champions League is “the bare minimum” and promises to “do everything I can” to achieve it, as Liverpool approach a decisive final Premier League match against Brentford and a difficult season raises questions about the team’s identity.
Salah is expected to make a farewell appearance at Anfield when Liverpool host Brentford in their last league game of the campaign, with the club likely needing victory to secure a top-five finish after the 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa left Champions League qualification still at risk.
After the loss to Aston Villa, Salah again appeared to question Arne Slot’s style in a social media message, having seemingly criticised the Liverpool hierarchy earlier in the season, and used the post to reflect on how Liverpool’s aggressive attacking identity, which Salah values, has slipped during a campaign filled with inconsistent results.
Salah wrote a detailed message about Liverpool’s journey and current problems, saying: “I have witnessed this club go from doubters to believers, and from believers to champions, Salah wrote. It took hard work, and I always did everything I could to help the club get there. Nothing makes me prouder than that. 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.”
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. Us crumbling to yet another defeat this season was very painful and pic.twitter.com/xsnD14QLTQMohamed Salah (@MoSalah) May 16, 2026">
Salah stressed that Liverpool must not lower expectations and that new arrivals need to embrace the club’s attacking mentality, adding: "It cannot be negotiable, and everyone that joins this club should adapt to it. Winning some games here and there is not what Liverpool should be about. All teams win games. 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 Ive always said, qualifying to next season's Champions League is the bare minimum, and I will do everything I can to make that happen."
The Opta supercomputer model currently rates Liverpool’s chances of ending in the Premier League’s top five at 92.6%, yet that favourable probability sits alongside a troubling record of defeats, which has fuelled Salah’s concerns over identity and consistency before the closing fixture against Brentford.
Across all competitions this season, Liverpool have lost 19 matches, matching some of the club’s most difficult post-1962 campaigns, and only the 1992-93 season, when Liverpool suffered 20 defeats, has seen more losses since promotion to the top flight, with 19 also recorded in 2004-05 and 2009-10.
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Despite the likely summer departure, Salah emphasises how strongly Liverpool still matters to Salah and Salah’s family, and wants a return to a high-tempo, trophy-winning style, while pushing for one last major contribution by helping secure Champions League football through a positive result against Brentford at Anfield.
Story first published: Saturday, May 16, 2026, 23:51 [IST]
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