daniel chigunwe
YAOUNDE. — Mohamed Salah’s words before Egypt’s African Cup of Nations Round of 16 encounter with Cote d’Ivoire were particularly clear-cut.
The Liverpool superstar emphasised the need for the team to be at the forefront and centre of African Cup of Nations conversations, rather than any one individual.
“If you love Egypt and the Egyptian national team, you should support the team and not a specific player,” Salah said before the Pharaohs played the Elephants. “You harm the player and make him feel that he’s more important than the team, and this is not true. There is no player more important than the team, whether it’s me or anyone else.
“Also, my message to people in the TV studios is that I hope you can talk about the entire team and not one or two individuals. I don’t follow these shows, but some follow and are affected by them.
“Keep supporting the team until the end of the tournament and then talk about each player.”
As is his wont, Salah is reasonably preaching the importance of a strong team dynamic, but there is a feeling his teammates ought to take those remarks on board as well.
Indeed, it will not be out of place to imply the North African giants are reliant on the Liverpool star’s decisiveness for success. Truthfully, it will be hard not to because of his ability, menace and end product. The former Chelsea attacker entered this year’s finals as the best player at the showpiece and arguably the best in the world owing to strong performances and wider consistency for Jurgen Klopp’s men. — Goal.com.
Online Reporter