Roberto Firmino has revealed the infamous spat between Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at Burnley “had been brewing since the previous season”.
Salah and Mane clashed during Liverpool’s 3-0 win at Turf Moor in August 2019. The incident unfolded when Salah refused to square the ball to Mane in space before fluffing a shot. Mane was furious with his team-mate and threw a huge strop after being substituted.
Firmino was hooked at the same time and watched the row unfold. Fans will remember the forward’s hilarious reaction, as he was filmed laughing at the incident in the tunnel. “Wait for Roberto Firmino’s face,” wrote Liverpool on Instagram with laughing emojis.
Firmino has recalled the episode in his new book, Si Senor: My Liverpool Years. The 32-year-old, who left Liverpool for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli during the summer, has also revealed how Salah “used to frustrate everyone when he didn’t pass the ball”.
Firmino, Salah and Mane formed one of the best attacking trios in Europe during their time together at Liverpool, helping Jurgen Klopp’s side win the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, European Super Cup and Club World Cup.
Yet it wasn’t always easy for Klopp to manage Salah and Mane. The pair’s relationship became tense the previous season when they were both fighting for the Premier League’s Golden Boot. The award was shared with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the end.
As Firmino has revealed in his new book, which has been serialised by The Guardian, Mane was annoyed with Salah for consistently hogging the ball in games. He wrote: “It (the row) had been brewing since the previous season, 2018-19. My instinct and my duty was to defuse the situation between them. Pour water on the fire – never petrol.”
Firmino claims Liverpool’s players “could feel” the tension between Mane and Salah. He says “the atmosphere was obviously tense” and the “mood was heavy” heading into the Burnley game. The Brazilian knew the tension would boil over at some point.
Firmino insists Mane wasn’t just annoyed about Salah refusing the square the ball – he was also frustrated with being hooked. He wrote: “Well, my English isn’t wonderful, so I can’t tell you exactly what Mane shouted when he came off. But it wasn’t anything nice!”
Firmino also doesn’t know why he pulled an “ironic” face in the tunnel after the game. Although he admits the post-match situation was “funny”, he claims “their argument wasn’t funny”. He continues: “I couldn’t help smiling… the cameras caught everything.”
Although he accepts Mane and Salah were “never best friends”, Firmino insists “they always acted with the utmost professionalism”. He’s also described Mane as “the most explosive of the three of us” and saw himself as the “peacemaker” within the trio.
Firmino has also discussed Salah’s selfishness. He wrote: “Klopp addressed this issue in front of all of us: when a teammate was in a better position, the ball had to be passed. It was a clear hint aimed at Salah… this aspect of his game improved significantly.”
