Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah has come under fire from BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks for his theatrics against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Egyptian took a tumble under the slightest of contact from former Red Mamadou Sakho, the latest in a worrying spate of diving-related incidents from the 26-year-old.
Crooks isn’t happy: “Mo Salah is breaking my heart. Why would such a wonderful player do something so grotesque?,” he queried on the BBC Sport website. “He went down in the penalty area as though he had been poleaxed.
“Crystal Palace skipper Luka Milivojevic told the Egypt international what he thought of the charade in no uncertain terms, and quite rightly. This was before the Liverpool striker sent the Eagles back to Selhurst Park having had their wings severely clipped. I was so disappointed in Salah but I still can’t bring myself to leave him out of my team of the week.”
OPINION
Crooks is right on both counts, in criticising Salah and in including him in his Premier League Team of the Week. In terms of the latter, he simply has to be there. He was hugely decisive against the Eagles, scoring twice as his his team secured what could be a vital win in the title race. On the other hand, he’s letting himself down with his continued willingness to go to ground. There seems to be an incident like this every week and even the most ardent of Salah fans has to admit that it’s no coincidence that it’s always him. It hasn’t cost his team yet, but unless he starts staying on his feet he will pick up a suspension for simulation at some point. That would be catastrophic for Liverpool and their title challenge. He needs to continue playing how he did against Palace but without the theatrics which marred what was another blistering display from the former Roma man.
