Brighton skipper Lewis Dunk challenges Liverpool winger Mohamed Salahplaceholder image
Brighton skipper Lewis Dunk challenges Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah | Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Mohamed Salah’s drop in form has seen Liverpool’s title challenge falter, but it he back to his best?
If Liverpool are to qualify for the Champions League, they will need a fully fit and firing Mohamed Salah to help get them there.
The 33-year old looked much more like his old self against Brighton and has been in fine form since returning from the African Cup of Nations. With four assists and a goal in his last five games, the numbers have returned to his game and there is a spring in the Anfield legend’s step once again. The goals might not be as prolific as they once were, but the finisher has now become the creator.
Mohamed Salah becomes creator in chief for Liverpool
Gone are the days when his Liverpool team-mates could just find Salah in space and he would do the rest. Anywhere from 50 yards in was enough for Salah to punish opposition teams who gave him too much room to operate. Speaking on the Walk On Liverpool podcast from The Athletic, Andy Jones reckons that the veteran forward has added another string to his bow:
“But on a serious note, I think James (Pearce) is right in terms of the way he was able to bully a full back, which feels like it's not something he's been able to do. I think you're right. His passing range is underrated.
“I think there's times when he does try the hard ball on occasions and he just hits it off a defender and that can bring a bit of frustration. But the amount of ball that he gets, he's seeing the right passes and he's seeing things which can break open a defence. And sometimes you need to take those risks.
“And sometimes you can have games where just nothing feels like it's coming off, particularly this season, where he's trying to feed things into the box and things like that or put the right cross in. But equally, he's got the eye for it and as James said, I think he's seeing the picture quicker and is able to use that because he spots a ball, his line is running and is able to put it into his path. So yeah, I think it was another string to his bow that sort of appeared over the last few years.
“And the important thing is when you're an attacker is if you're not scoring, then you need to be making sure that you're contributing. And his assist numbers since he's come back from AFCON, there's been a number of assists in there as well. So as long as you're contributing, I think that's a key part.”
Salah makes amends to get in Slot’s good books
Slot is also happy that the falling out from earlier in the season appears to have been put to bed after Salah scored and assisted in the 3-0 win over Brighton: “It is very nice to have him on the scoresheet again, but what I like the most is he’s scoring goals – you can almost expect that – but he also helps the team a lot defensively and that is something very positive.” Slot said in his post match press-conference.
It was the biggest criticism of Salah earlier in the season when he wasn’t scoring goals. That he wasn’t offering anything else in and out of possession. The Egyptian King has got his mojo back though and Premier League defences could be in for a harder time over the next few months as a result.
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