Sam Allardyce was in a defiant mood as he criticised Jamie Carragher’s recent comments about Mohamed Salah, defending the forward while also giving his opinion on Virgil van Dijk’s form.
Allardyce leapt to Salah’s defence, calling Carragher’s claim that the Egyptian’s legs had gone “pathetic.”
He suggested the remarks were made to keep Carragher relevant and create needless drama.
Liverpool needed a late own goal to salvage a point after Sunderland threatened to pile more pressure on head coach Arne Slot at Anfield.
Slot once again left Mohamed Salah on the bench following Sunday’s win over West Ham United, bringing the Egyptian on at the start of the second half in an attempt to inject spark into a lifeless Liverpool performance.
The Black Cats took a deserved lead in the 67th minute when Chemsdine Talbi’s 25-yard shot deflected off Virgil van Dijk and beat Alisson.
The Premier League champions looked set for another Anfield embarrassment until a late slice of fortune secured them a point.
Speaking exclusively on the Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, in partnership with BOYLE Sports, Sam Allardyce said: “He should really know better. I mean that’s an absolutely pathetic statement.
“He’s good at that, isn’t he? ‘Let’s just throw it out there for a bit of popularity’ to keep himself on the front end of it.
“That’s a disgrace. His legs haven’t gone. How could his legs go from what he did last year and have the summer off, and his legs have gone this year? How can that happen? It doesn’t happen overnight.
“He [Carragher] doesn’t train with him, does he? He doesn’t watch him train, sees him play.
“He might not be doing so well like many Liverpool players. But Isak hasn’t played well, so have his legs gone already?”
Sam Allardyce also believes Virgil van Dijk is being exposed because of the shortcomings of other defensive players and insists he should not be written off just yet.
Allardyce added: “His mate’s not been playing well, Konate. He’s been far worse than Virgil. The pairing is really important, but Slot hasn’t got many options right now, apart from Joe Gomez.
“It’s not his [van Dijk’s] first blip because he had a blip after the injury and everybody said he’s lost a yard.
“He worked hard to get that back because when you have a cruciate ligament injury, it’s a tough one to come back from. Not just physically but it’s a tough one mentally.
“He’s got that back the last couple of seasons, but they always look at somebody if the team’s not playing well, and unfortunately, the spotlight’s on him.”
Read more: Florian Wirtz makes honest verdict after being denied first Liverpool goal
Arne Slot dismisses claims Anfield is losing “fear factor” after Sunderland draw
Arne Slot admits it is ‘not nice’ to see Mohamed Salah on the bench
