Mohamed Salah has been criticized for not being at his best this season, but club legend John Barnes believes Liverpool’s problems are not the Egyptian star’s fault.
Manager John Barnes has dismissed concerns about Mohamed Salah’s form and is confident the Liverpool hero will be back to his best soon. Salah’s form has been under the spotlight this season, with the Egyptian unable to match the brilliant form he showed in 2024/25 as the Reds defend their Premier League title.
The 33-year-old has five goals and three assists in 16 appearances so far this season, but it’s a far cry from Arne Slott’s impressive debut season. Salah led Liverpool’s team last season with 34 goals and 23 assists in 52 games and has been handed a new two-year contract.
Liverpool invested heavily in the summer, spending £446m and bringing in seven new players, with their biggest overhaul in attack. Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz arrived for big money, while Luis Dias, Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott also left.
Slott has been trying to integrate his new players this season and things are still not going well, with Liverpool sitting eighth in the Premier League ahead of Saturday’s game against Nottingham Forest.
Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes have been among the pundits to criticize Salah’s work ethic, with Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo being mooted for a £65m move in January as a possible replacement.
read more: Liverpool get clear answer from Andoni Iraola regarding Antoine Semenyo’s release clauseread more: 5 things to watch out for in the Premier League as Arsenal already face a tough situation
But Burns has launched an impassioned defense of Salah and believes the issue is more nuanced. “Well, it’s a culmination of a lot of things. It’s not necessarily that Mo Salah is doing well, it’s that we’re playing differently,” he said when asked by Mirror Football on behalf of betting site BetSelect if Salah’s form was a concern.
“If you think about how Liverpool played before, it was Trent[Alexander-Arnold]and other members of the team who were creating the play for Mo, whereas now they have players like Florian Wirtz, Ekitike and Isak. So we’re playing differently. If we get it right, we’ll be fine. We’re just going through some teething problems and it’s a coincidence that Mo Salah is 33. People are putting two and two together and blaming it on age.
“The whole team has to get used to the new way of playing, and it’s not necessarily just going for Mo Salah’s shots. Mo will still be dangerous, but he’s not going to get the ball in as many dangerous situations as he is. He’s not going to get the ball as quickly as he is. There’s a lot of dribblers now, so he’s not going to play as fast as he used to. So Salah won’t be able to use his pace and dive on the ball to play one-on-one.
Let us know what you think. What do you think about Mohamed Salah’s performance this season? Please comment below.
“The team is playing differently against us as well. They are defending deeper and making it more difficult for us. So it has nothing to do necessarily with Mo. It’s just a culmination of a new team getting used to new players, us playing differently, the opposition playing differently against us. I have no concerns about Liverpool’s long-term success, but obviously it’s going to take time to get back to what we’ve been doing for the last three or four years.”
Barnes has been performing at the highest level as Liverpool’s winger for 10 years, so he understands the glare Salah is receiving. He is confident that the Egyptian player’s form will improve once he gets used to his new team-mates.
“I still think he’s in the top 11,” he added. “Obviously, he’s not necessarily going to be the main force like he was before, but I think he’s still in the top 11 as it is. It’s just a matter of integrating more. We’ve got to figure out a way to suit everyone. It’s definitely different from what they’ve been doing for the last five or six years.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£49
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
