Mohamed Salah was telling Trent Alexander-Arnold to ‘show respect’ during their tense training ground clash, according to a body language expert. The Liverpool duo were filmed being separated by their team-mates as they headed outside for an open training session.
Salah initially appeared jovial and gave Alexander-Arnold a light shove. The Egyptian winger smiled throughout the exchange but Alexander-Arnold did not seem amused. Speculation over a rift has been rife since the incident took place yesterday, although Liverpool insist the clash was in good spirits. According to Inbaal Honigman, a body language expert speaking on behalf of OLBG, there was no genuine aggression shown by either Liverpool player. However, Honigman believes Salah wanted Alexander-Arnold to ‘show respect’.
“Both men are showing assertiveness, not aggressiveness,” Honigman said.
“Salah is a strong man. If he wanted to push Trent Alexander-Arnold to the ground, he would. That push was intended to send a sign to the younger man to take notice and show respect.
“In fact, Mo skips towards Trent just before pushing him. Skipping isn’t exactly a show of aggression, there’s a playful element here. With his arms swinging while he skips, Salah isn’t focused on causing damage to his team-mate, or even on appearing threatening.
“As the others grab Salah and remove him from the situation, he is seen smiling. There are no facial expressions of rage or frustration, he goes along with them. Trent, for his part, displays no big shock. He strolls towards Salah with neither haste nor aggression, his facial expression is unchanged, he’s not feeling threatened or at risk.
“As the two men are separated, there’s still some pointing and eye contact, which mean, ‘I’ve got my eye on you’, but there are no markers for aggressive feelings, they might even be smiling. This was a warning, a power play. It would appear that Mohammed Salah is calling on Trent Alexander-Arnold not to cross a line and be respectful.”
Those present during the open training session insist it was harmless fun between two good friends. Salah and Alexander-Arnold are said to have been in good spirits around Liverpool’s AXA Training Centre for the remainder of the day.
Both stars are out of contract at the end of the season, alongside captain Virgil van Dijk. Whether any of the trio remain at Anfield next season remains unconfirmed.
The Liverpool squad have shown excellent camaraderie this season and are 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League this season. Arne Slot could still win a treble of the league, Champions League and Carabao Cup in his first season with the club.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk