Former Liverpool star Danny Murphy has also criticized Mohamed Salah’s defensive workload, as has Wayne Rooney.
Mohamed Salah has once again come under fire for his defensive work rate after a below-average start to the season. The Liverpool forward has three goals and three assists in 10 appearances so far this season, but he has yet to hit his stride as Arne Slott’s young side continue to improve.
The Reds have lost their last three games, with Salah failing to score in any of them. Arne Slott made headlines last week when he was on the bench against Galatasaray, but the forward has come under even more criticism following his performance in Saturday’s last-minute defeat to Chelsea.
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney slammed the Egyptian after the game, accusing him of having an “ego” and taking issue with his failure to return to defense. Former Liverpool star Danny Murphy echoed those sentiments, insisting Salah needs to contribute more defensively to stop his team-mates from mini-blipping, following the Reds’ recent lack of form.
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“The problem for anyone who plays at right-back for the club is that we were covering on that side of the pitch. Last season it was Grabenberch and it’s not the same now,” he told Aceoz. “As we saw against Chelsea, Liverpool don’t adapt very well when teams are deployed on the left.
“This is an obvious ploy by Chelsea, and if Liverpool are going to use a full-back, they will need help if they play against quality wingers.
“If you’re going to allow Salah the freedom not to go back, that’s understandable to some extent, because if you take the ball away you’re putting Salah, Liverpool’s best scorer, into attacking transitions. Then the midfield has to adapt faster and get out into the full-back area.
“Last week, we played too much on the right flank and the right-back was isolated. That’s something we need to work on on the training ground.”
“Or we are telling Salah that he has to defend to balance himself and make it harder to beat him. It’s not like he can’t run.
“At the moment, with United next up, I would say to him he has to do his job and help Liverpool make it a little bit harder to win. For example, they showed against Arsenal that they can do that.”
After Chelsea’s win over Liverpool, manager Marc Cucurella revealed that the Blues had deliberately targeted Salah, who ultimately scored the winning goal in stoppage time from the Reds’ right wing.
“We practiced that because we know Salah is always ready for a counter-attack, and the manager said there might be space[on Liverpool’s right flank],” the Spaniard told Sky Sports. “It looked like we were on the verge, but we kept attacking. I was trying to give it my last shot and Enzo gave me the ball and I put a cross into Estevao.”
Meanwhile, Salah previously revealed he had held discussions with Slott about giving the 33-year-old less responsibility in order to give him more of a contribution in the final third. “I don’t need to defend too much right now,” he told Sky Sports after helping Liverpool win the Premier League in April. “It’s very difficult to say one thing, but the tactics are completely different.
“But I told him (Slot), ‘If you give me a break defensively, I’ll contribute offensively.’ So I’m glad I did that. Obviously, it was the coach’s idea, but he listened.”
“Obviously he’s my manager, but he listens to me, so I talked to him and he was open to the idea. You can see it in the numbers!”
“To be fair, it’s very difficult because when you play in the Premier League you also have to protect the left-back, but I spoke to him and said: ‘You can gamble a little bit here and there, but when you win the ball it’s always free, so that can make a difference.’
“I think my assist numbers also show that. It’s not just about scoring goals, it’s also about creating chances and making a difference for the team.”
Salah had a fantastic season with Liverpool in 2024/2025, scoring 34 goals and providing 23 assists in 52 games across all competitions, helping lead the Reds to Premier League glory. However, Salah’s past stance on his defensive contributions will continue to come under scrutiny as Slott’s side have struggled to regain their form this season, despite being one point clear of Arsenal at the top of the table.
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