The French defender has a lot of apologising to do. After being spotted storming through the Anfield car park before kick-off yesterday and then driving away, Sakho will have to return to the Merseyside club with his tail between his legs.
Sakho had been tweeting recently about how much he was looking forward to the derby game, comparing it to the French derby between Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille:
‘I was unfortunately injured in the second derby of last season, but to watch it was incredibly exciting. The fans at that type of match are really bubbling with excitement and energy, and the atmosphere is always really different to other matches throughout the season,’ he said.
‘Le Classique is really all about the pride of the player and the supporters. It’s all about competition of the cities. The atmosphere’s always completely different – people are bubbling with energy, pride and hunger to win the match.
‘Both [Le Classique and the Merseyside derby] have the same importance, the same atmosphere. The only difference is that the stadiums are obviously a lot further apart in France than in Liverpool with Anfield and Goodison Park.’
Brendan Rodgers will certainly want a meeting with the player to establish the reasons for his actions, and we would expect some sort of public announcement early next week. Rodgers will be only too aware that Liverpool fans do not take too lightly to being snubbed or disrepected. The whole club is built around an ethos of pride and respect. At best, Sakho can expect a hefty fine for his actions.
The 24-year-old French star was left out of the squad for the crunch match with Everton yesterday.
Rodgers decided to start Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren together at the back with Kolo Toure on the bench following a reasonable display in mid-week against Middlesbrough. This meant there was no room for Sakho. It would appear this left the defender furious.
Sakho tweeted an apology to Liverpool fans last night:
‘I really want to apologise to the club, the supporters and every person who felt offended when I left the stadium this afternoon’
‘I’m aware that it was a bad choice from my part to go isolating to watch the game!’
We will watch with interest to see what comes of this situation at Anfield, as the Reds heirarchy deal with yet another moment of controversy at the club. Sakho has yet to convince most Liverpool fans of his right to start in a newly formed defensive unit, and with Lovren and Skrtel doing a pretty good job in the 1-1 draw with their arch rivals, it would seem he has done himself no favours. It may be a while before he makes the starting XI, but his saving grace may be the amount of games heading Liverpool’s way. When he gets his chance, he is going to have to play his socks off!
Written by Michael Horne
Follow me on Twitter for more articles @MichaelHorne777
