Mohamed Salah enjoyed one of his best seasons last term, which ended with him receiving a new Liverpool contract, but a few weeks into the new season, questions are being asked about his form.
Liverpool have often secured timing when it comes to juggling big players, big trades and big decisions. Few, if any, will leave Anfield and go on to do better, with the Reds primarily getting players a peak year before moving on.
Their principles were tested last season when Mohamed Salah, who turned 33 in the summer, was hoping to hold on to another bumper deal with the Premier League champions. All the proposed indicators will quickly catch up with him, but the performance was discussed differently.
Sarah enjoyed one of her best seasons last term, finishing with 34 goals. Only in his debut season did Egypt’s score increase. The term is a slow burner, and cynics will argue that the warning signs were there.
It was April 11th that Sarah wrote his new contract. Liverpool were already as good as the champions and everything seemed to be heading in the right direction. Their prolific frontman would soon see his numbers tail off.
In the final nine games of last season, he scored twice. He has scored two goals so far this season. That means Salah has scored four times in 16 games since firing blank against Everton in early April. 1 goal every 4 games.
read more: Mo Salah accused by Wayne Rooney as Virgil Van Dijk tells how he has to respondread more: Arne Slot sends big warning to Mohamed Salah amid Liverpool misery
For men whose goal is currency, the numbers don’t stack up. Even his creativity took a big dip – he had three assists in his last 17 league games. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s own problems have been regularly made public, perhaps shedding further light on the lack of contribution from their number 11.
For Arne Slot, it was a summer of change. The hope was that he would build on a dominant season as Liverpool saw back-to-back titles for the first time in 37 years. Instead, the huge investment in the team seems to have brought everything into sync.
Five wins in the opening five matches covered a serious crack. This is the type of rift that even Sarah seems to have succumbed to. Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike have both come in to lead the line – so far there is no obvious solution as to who will play where.
Florian Wirtz was Britain’s record arrival for a period, coming in as a traditional No 10, but endured a slow start. Fit him into a system where the playmaker hasn’t spent time yet. And Sara’s partner, Trent Alexander-Arnold, moved to Real Madrid.
Jeremie Frimpong was acquired as his replacement. Conor Bradley also continues to seek more involvement at right-back. However, the number of changes has been tough and it seems to have affected every player in the team.
For a very long time, Liverpool’s approach has been simple but effective, and they have refrained from making some adjustments over the years. The high energy and lightning pace of the transitions were all traits that suited Sara’s game. Now they are trying to change the style with new personnel so that is not working well either.
All statistics prove that Sara’s impact on the game is declining. He’s taking fewer shots, he’s taking fewer shots on target, he’s dribbling less and taking fewer shots on target than he used to. All leading to a decrease in goal returns, and even his attitude is being questioned.
Wayne Rooney said in the aftermath of the defeat at Chelsea, Liverpool’s third defeat in a week: “Top players have egos. Mosala has been one of the best players in the league for a long time.”
“But last week I question his work ethic. I know he doesn’t always go back and defend, but in the Chelsea game his full back was torn and he’s looking.”
In the end, Chelsea full-back Mark Cucurella was the man to be policed by Salah delivering a cross for a stoppage-time winner at Stamford Bridge. Sara has been relieved of some defensive responsibility, but that has generally been offset by what he provides in the final third. Not now.
This new age Liverpool still needs stars from previous eras to produce what they always have if they are to evolve. Sarah has been a goal machine for eight years. Last month, he was declared the fourth best player in the world at the Ballon de Ora Awards.
Now he can see miles from that level. That’s how much he is and that’s how much slot Liverpool 2.0 is a source of debate. In any case, the forward and his manager need to find a solution.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat community members to special offers, promotions, and advertisements. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. You can read the privacy notice if you are interested.
Sky Sports Discount Premier League and EFL Packages
£49
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members just £336 and offering over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
