EXCLUSIVE: Former Liverpool winger Mark Gonzalez on Slot and Salah's form

[p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gonzalez-mark/CnG9FVC1/"]Mark[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a] got an important win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/galatasaray/riaqqurF/"]Galatasaray[/a] this week and needed a turning point in their season. What have you made of what's happened so far? Is Slot to blame, as people are trying to point fingers?[/b][/p][p]"I don’t like pointing fingers. In football, you have good moments and bad moments, and that doesn’t define who you are or what you can do. When Slot first came in, he was the king. Now it seems like he’s the worst. But results don’t define you. It’s the same players - a team that was doing great at one point and now isn’t. That’s just part of football.[/p][p]"I’ve asked myself many times why this happens - it’s the same team, same coach - and honestly, I don’t have an answer. It’s like when you’re losing, and suddenly you start fighting and playing better than ever. Then you ask yourself: why couldn’t I play like that from the start? I don’t have an answer for that either.[/p][p]"Football is about moments. It doesn’t define whether you’re good or bad - you can be both in a short space of time. So I always try to not blame anyone, just try to understand what’s happening."[/p][p][b]There’s a growing blame culture now, probably driven by social media. One minute, Slot is a title-winning manager; the next, people want him out. What do you make of that mindset?[/b][/p][p]"It’s very common. When you achieve something big and then don’t maintain it, suddenly you’re seen as the worst. I’ve experienced that myself."[/p][p][b]Some people are looking back and saying, 'All Slot did was build on what Jurgen Klopp gave him, took the momentum of that, won the title with that, but now has tried to put his own mark on it, bought his own players, and it got worse'. What do you think?[/b][/p][p]"As a coach, you always want to do your best. Liverpool is a huge club - they’re not going to bring in just anyone. Sometimes things work, sometimes they don’t. Football is like a roulette. You can bring in the best coach, and it still might not work. That doesn’t make him a bad coach.[/p][p]"Maybe he leaves and succeeds somewhere else. It’s different players, different environment, different pressure... and Liverpool brings huge pressure. Right now, it’s just not working for him."[/p][embed guid="0fb2893f-9393-415b-8e42-504094899c33" url="https://x.com/Flashscorecom/status/2034393179680641297" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]What are your views on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/salah-mohamed/08FBycgB/"]Mohamed Salah[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-dijk-virgil/U59RNqOr/"]Virgil van Dijk[/a], and knowing when is the right time to move on?[/b][/p][p]"I’d never want them to leave, to be honest. They’re key players, and when they’re not on the pitch, you can see the difference. That’s why I generally would never like them to leave.[/p][p]"For Salah, with his performances lately, something clearly happened with Slot a few months ago. Remember that he wanted to leave, and he wasn’t in games, and stuff like that.[/p][p]"I know that there are many things that happen when you have problems with the coach. That affects your performance, and we don't know what's happening behind the doors. There is a lot going on with the environment, and there is pressure. That kind of situation affects performance.[/p][p]"I think mentally he’s not happy, and that’s why we’re not seeing his usual level. Even a small issue in your mind can affect you. I think there’s something not right between them."[/p][p][b]Who’s your favourite Liverpool player to watch?[/b][/p][p]"Salah! I really admire him. He has everything: mentality, physicality, skill. Watching him is a pleasure. If he doesn’t score, he creates. He defends, attacks… he’s a complete player."[/p][p][b]How much of a connection do you still feel to Liverpool, and what does the club mean to you now?[/b][/p][p]"It’s the best thing that happened in my career. Liverpool is a family. 'Once a Red, always a Red' - and I feel that. They still invite me back, and that means a lot. The first time I went back was 13 years later for a Champions League game. Standing there, I realised: I played here! It hit me emotionally - I wanted to cry.[/p][p]"At the time, I was still playing football in the second division in Chile, but the next day, on the pitch during a tour of Anfield, I told my wife I was going to retire. I thought, 'this is the best moment to do it'. So I recorded a video there and went to dinner to think it over.  I decided to post it on Instagram to announce it… and it exploded! That moment was just the perfect place to end my career."[/p][image alt="Mark Gonzalez playing for Liverpool legends" id="27b759c0-1daa-4764-b0e4-9a519348ca73" credit-line="Ian Hodgson / PA Images / Profimedia" guid="26dd6ccd-6aff-48a5-9a7b-30ad46e97f13" original-width="1400" original-height="933" /][p][b]You’ve been involved in the Legends games - what’s that experience like?[/b][/p][p]"It’s the best event of my year. I played my first one against Manchester United and loved it ever since. I have one coming up against Dortmund soon.[/p][p]"It’s going great. Honestly, I feel like I’m scoring more now than when I was playing! It’s an amazing experience. The club looks after you - it’s a family."[/p][p][b]As a player, what was your big takeaway from your time at Liverpool?[/b][/p][p]"I was very young when I arrived. I would have loved to join at 25 or 26, at my peak. I became a more complete player later, with better movement, better decisions, and better understanding with teammates.[/p][p]"But I learned a lot from Rafa Benitez. At the time, I didn’t fully understand it, but later it all made sense to me. Years later, I would think, 'Oh, now I know why Benitez wanted me to do this'."[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Follow all of Liverpool's matches with Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]