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Former Liverpool forward El Hadji Diouf has played down the importance of the Reds winning their first Premier League title in 30 years amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Diouf was on the books at Anfield from 2002-05, but has since fallen out of favor with Liverpool fans due to constant criticism of the club and legends like Steven Gerrard.
Last season, Diouf claimed that Liverpool had bottled the title and wasted a once in a lifetime opportunity to end the Premier League drought.
Jurgen Klopp’s men have elevated their game this season, opening a 25-point gap in second place in Man City and heading into a record season before the Covid-19 outbreak halted the campaign.
When asked how impressive the Reds have been this season, Diouf said Mirror football : “Until you win mathematically, you still don’t win anything. In football you never do it until you do everything.”
(Image: Press Association)
“You can have hundreds of chances to be a champion and you will miss it. A few years ago, Liverpool led and everyone said that it was their year, but Steven Gerrard slipped and everything changed from there.”
“That is football for you and me, life is more important than Liverpool winning the title, first we all need to be safe and alive before talking about resuming a league or giving them the title.”
Speaking from his base in Dakar, Senegal, the former Premier League official suggested that other teams facing ramifications due to the crisis should also be avoided.
“Everyone talks about Liverpool, but other teams are also important,” he added. “My old Lens team in France has been trying to show up for many years and when it looked like they would this year, the virus attacked.”
(Image: Press Association)
“Another team I played for, Leeds, has also been trying to appear for years and it looked like they would this year and then this happened again, so for me it’s not just about Liverpool.”
“I would be happy if they won because I played there and my son Sadio [Mane] He’s leading them to him, but of course he hasn’t earned it yet. “
Diouf also added his voice to the ongoing discussions about salary deferrals and a cut in monthly wages for Premier League footballers.
“This is always expected since the easiest target is the players, but for me I think it is about conscience and truthfulness,” Diouf explained.
“This virus goes beyond soccer or athletes, it is about governments helping and if governments help and footballers can help, that is because footballers or athletes are not the solution.”
“The world of soccer is already doing a lot in my opinion; they tell me that the city of Man has given its stadium [to temporarily help the relief effort] and there are many clubs doing the best they can.
“A lot of people just attract soccer players or athletes because we make a lot of money, but we are not the solution, we are just helping to find the solution.”
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