Salah: I am not going to deny that I wanted to face Real Madrid in Champions League final

[TLW]

Mo Salah says has made no apologies for publicly saying that he wanted to play Real Madrid as the Reds look to erase bitter memories in their quest for their seventh European Cup.

 

The Spanish outfit came from the absolute clouds to crush the hearts and minds of Man City at the Bernabeu on Wednesday evening in a comeback that will rank very highly in their illustrious 120-year history.

 

While there are those in the Football media and casual fans who get all misty eyed and patriotic by the thought of two English clubs fighting for the most prestigious trophy in club football, the reality is very different.

 

By and large due to familiarity reasons when two clubs from the same country meet in this showcase fixture, it never lives up to expectations.

 

The main essence of the competition is to challenge yourself against the best of what the continent has to offer.

 

And come the 28th of this month in Paris that is exactly what will happen when the Reds take on the most successful club in the history of this competition.

 

One of those 13 triumphs by Real came against Liverpool in 2018 when they emerged 3-1 winners.

 

It was a bitter end to a terrific European campaign for the Reds and especially for Salah who had enjoyed a record breaking first season at the club, but played no more than 30 minutes after injuring his shoulder in a highly cynical challenge by Sergio Ramos.

 

In the aftermath of Real’s dramatic win against City, Salah who is not known for being provocative on or off the pitch tweeted “ we have a score to settle.”

 

It was exactly what fans have said for years and only emphasised after Madrid knocked the Reds out of the competition at the Quarter-final stage last season, albeit Liverpool missing a number of their key stars and their legion of fans at Anfield due to Covid restrictions.

 

And there is little doubt that it has been in the back of the mind of the players and coaches, and speaking to Sky Sports, the newly crowned Football Writer Association Player of the Year said that he was only being honest.

 

 

“I don't know why we're not allowed to talk about it but I'm ok to talk about it - I wanted that game! I wanted to play Real Madrid before that game [against Manchester City].

 

“Of course, I'm not giving too much credit to them. They're an unbelievable team with a great coach, great players. When they asked me who I wanted, I said Madrid. It's an easy answer."

 

Salah reflected on the 2018 heartbreak and said while the initial disappointment was raw, he knew that the team had to quickly put it behind them.

 

“You just feel so disappointed, so down," Salah recalled about the Kyiv disappointment. "'Ah come on, not in this game!' But once you have time, it makes you forget.

 

"I had work affairs and then I had a holiday after. In that holiday I just asked - what do you want? To keep crying about it and be sad about it and it takes you down? Or you just fight back. And I fought back in the best way and that's why we're here now.

 

“We had a meeting after and the manager talked to us in pre-season. We were so hungry to win the Champions League the year after and in the Premier League we were very close as well. I think it had some benefits also, not everything was good losing that final but we had benefits."

 

 

Salah may have scored more goals in his debut season (44), but he is unequivocal that this campaign is his best for the club due to the fact that his all-round game is much better.

 

“This is my best season for me at Liverpool. The goal and assist numbers are high and the way I created chances, the highest number in the Premier League, everything around the game has changed a lot.

 

"I don't feel that good when the team loses games, or when I don't score or make a difference. But when the team wins and I don't score, I'm still very happy.

 

"I just try to find the small things to fire me up. I try to look at a small record there, or another record there to keep my mind busy. I try to be driven with these records to break them, I try to be hungry for something new."

 

 

 

 

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[Aventus]

He really is a unique player, you won't see many other people talking the way he does.

 

Usually it's just the media trained script like "whoever we play deserves to be there so we'll prepare for whoever it is." not Mo though, straight to the point "we have a score to settle" he's open about how devastating 2018 was for him and how he wants to put things right. 

 

Also the bit about focusing on breaking records, just sign the thing and keep breaking them Mo. 

[etho]

To be honest I was watching that interview on BT sport thinking he needed to stop talking. We as a club already know we wanted Real Madrid and to get revenge, we don't need to give Jake Humphreys and Rio Ferdinand their soundbite to be turned into clickbait and rechurned 10000000 times over the internet before the final.

[Saintslfc13]

19 minutes ago, etho said:

To be honest I was watching that interview on BT sport thinking he needed to stop talking. We as a club already know we wanted Real Madrid and to get revenge, we don't need to give Jake Humphreys and Rio Ferdinand their soundbite to be turned into clickbait and rechurned 10000000 times over the internet before the final.

I see your point but those cunts were gonna talk their shit anyway. I find Salah’s openness about it refreshing to be honest. Real’s players instantly put 14 shirts on after their semi so it’s not like they give a fuck what any of ours have to say either. 

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, Saintslfc13 said:

I see your point but those cunts were gonna talk their shit anyway. I find Salah’s openness about it refreshing to be honest. Real’s players instantly put 14 shirts on after their semi so it’s not like they give a fuck what any of ours have to say either. 

Saves on the heating bills.

[gkmacca]

5 hours ago, TLW said:

 

"I had work affairs and then I had a holiday after.

 

Sounds like he'd be right at home in the House of Commons.

[sir roger]

Fuck Real

[Bjornebye]

10 hours ago, etho said:

To be honest I was watching that interview on BT sport thinking he needed to stop talking. We as a club already know we wanted Real Madrid and to get revenge, we don't need to give Jake Humphreys and Rio Ferdinand their soundbite to be turned into clickbait and rechurned 10000000 times over the internet before the final.

Humphrey is a humungous cunt but yeah if we win in Paris it will be "yeah but you were shit scared of City" 

[Rick Sanchez C-137]

11 hours ago, etho said:

To be honest I was watching that interview on BT sport thinking he needed to stop talking. We as a club already know we wanted Real Madrid and to get revenge, we don't need to give Jake Humphreys and Rio Ferdinand their soundbite to be turned into clickbait and rechurned 10000000 times over the internet before the final.

 

Are you not bored of every post match interview sounding the same though? "We don't mind who we get, one game at a time" etc. It's not about being scared of one team or another but they're humans, they're lying if they're pretending different they don't have a preference. Interviews are basically politics now where they just make noise with their mouths and never actually answer the question.

 

And if something comes back to bite them, so what? That's life. As long as they're aren't being cocky or arrogant I don't see the harm in answering honestly.

[Scott_M]

3 hours ago, Bjornebye said:

Humphrey is a humungous cunt but yeah if we win in Paris it will be "yeah but you were shit scared of City" 

When we’re celebrating #7, Jake Humphrey’s opinion will literally be the last think on my mind! 

[Code]

Who didn't, is this a case at all, are people completely idiots?

[s(k)aturation]

 

So, in a season where Liverpool has reached the final match - and therefore played every possible match it could - of every competition it has played in... let's suppose in saying what he said, Salah did want the very last match of that season to be "easier" by playing Real Madrid.

 

So fucking what?  Who fucking cares?  Only fuckwits.

 

Me, I think you could make a case that wanting to play the 13 times champions of this competition is anything but shitting the bed.

 

Only by giving a fuck what dickhead punters and their dickhead followers say and think, could Mo's comments possibly bother someone.

 

Now, if you'll kindly excuse him, he's got a Spurs to beat and then a Newcastle to cheer on in the "Abu Derby".