“Big baby” – Liverpool star slammed for antics against Nottingham Forest | OneFootball

Allardyce criticism puts spotlight on Salah conduct

Football has always had its share of public admonishments, yet there was something especially pointed in Sam Allardyce’s recent verdict on Mohamed Salah. Speaking after Liverpool’s narrow win over Nottingham Forest, Allardyce did not mince his words about Salah’s reaction to being substituted by Arne Slot.

According to reporting from rousingthekop.com, Allardyce said the Liverpool forward should handle matters privately rather than display frustration. “Go and knock on the door in the manager’s office, and go and take it up then,” he said. “Don’t go displaying in front of everybody else like a big baby. Big baby, big baby, big baby, he’s a baby.”

It is classic Allardyce: blunt, unvarnished and not designed to win popularity contests. Yet his point is clear. In elite sport, optics matter. A grimace on the bench, a smirk caught by cameras, a refusal to applaud the substitution — all can create narratives that travel faster than a winger down the touchline.

For Salah, a player whose professionalism has rarely been questioned, this episode has added intrigue to an already uneasy stretch of form.

Slot authority tested by Liverpool rotation choices

Arne Slot, still shaping his Liverpool in his own image, faces the delicate balancing act all managers encounter with star players. Authority must be asserted, but egos must be managed. The substitution after 77 minutes against Forest — a match Liverpool won 1-0 thanks to Alexis Mac Allister’s late strike — may have seemed routine. Yet reactions rarely are.

Slot’s decision was tactical, perhaps a nod to the impressive cameo from teenager Rio Ngumoha, who reportedly offered more urgency than Liverpool’s established forwards. Still, taking off a club legend is never just a footballing call. It is political, psychological and, occasionally, combustible.

Allardyce’s intervention, harsh as it sounded, underlines a broader truth: when results tighten and form dips, scrutiny multiplies. Liverpool are chasing consistency, and Slot must ensure the dressing room follows one script.

Salah drought fuels debate over Liverpool future

Numbers do not lie, and Salah’s recent record has invited uncomfortable conversation. He has not scored a league goal since November 2025, an unfamiliar drought for one of the Premier League’s most prolific forwards. For supporters who have witnessed years of brilliance, patience competes with anxiety.

Even in victory at the City Ground, Liverpool’s attack looked short of its old menace. The emergence of Ngumoha and other young options adds pressure. Slot must decide whether loyalty to past excellence outweighs the urgency of present results.

It is worth remembering that football history is littered with great players who endured lean spells before roaring back. Form is transient; class is permanent, as the old maxim goes. Yet Liverpool’s ambitions leave little room for sentimentality.

Allardyce’s comments may sting, but they also reflect an understanding of dressing-room hierarchy. Public dissent, however mild, can fracture unity. Salah, for all his achievements, must navigate this period with humility and resolve.

Leadership moment ahead for Liverpool dressing room

What happens next matters more than what has been said. If Salah and Slot hold an honest conversation, clarity may follow. If frustration lingers, Liverpool risk unnecessary distraction at a critical stage of the campaign.

Allardyce’s message, stripped of its blunt phrasing, is about professionalism. Disagree with the manager if you must, but do it behind closed doors. Football clubs are fragile ecosystems. One visible crack can become a chasm.

Liverpool’s upcoming fixtures against West Ham and Wolves offer opportunity. Goals change narratives. Performances restore faith. Salah, Slot and Allardyce each represent different generations of football thought, yet they share an understanding of standards.

Slot needs results. Salah needs rhythm. Allardyce wants accountability.