Many fans believe Liverpool’s Mohamad Salah is one of the best football players in the world, but Salah’s performances this season have made even the most devout fans question if his skills are diminishing.
This season, Salah has scored a mere two goals from the seven Premier League matches played so far, which is concerning, compared to last season’s 29 goals in 38 matches. Additionally, in the past seven matches, Salah has only had 11 attempted non-penalty shots, a low figure in an attacking Liverpool side.
The most notable explanation for Salah’s poor performance is the loss of Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, who played 8 seasons with Salah. Last season, Alexander-Arnold played 147 line-breaking passes to Salah, more than any other pair in the league. Without Alexander-Arnold, Salah has had a very quiet beginning to this season, and is yet to find a suitable replacement to assist him with goals. Out of 33 games played with Alexander-Arnold, Salah was able to score 27 goals, averaging 3. 4 shots per game. Out of the last 12 matches from last season and this season without Alexander-Arnold, Salah only scored four, averaging two shots per game. Was Alexander-Arnold the only player who could unleash Salah’s greatness? So far this season, the answer is likely a yes.
With the transfer of Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid, fans initially didn’t worry as Liverpool signed big names such as Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. Some even speculated that Wirtz would be the one to replace Alexander-Arnold and make defence-splitting passes to Salah – but so far, he’s only made seven in the past seven matches. Wirtz and Isak have yet to make a name for themselves with Liverpool, as fans were expecting more from them this season. Perhaps once they adapt to the team’s style more, Salah’s performance may see an improvement too.
With Liverpool moving down to second in the Premier League after losing the past two matches against Crystal Palace and Chelsea, there is no doubt that the club will no longer have a clear path to winning the league like last season. Should they want to take home another league title, Liverpool needs to resolve their current issues and figure out their team dynamic – and do it soon.
“Mo Salah in UEFA Super Cup 2019” by Mehdi Bolourian is licensed under CC BY 4.0.