**Steve Nicol has argued that Mohamed Salah’s sudden decline is very difficult to understand, but it’s not.**
When the 2024-25 season ended, with Liverpool on a high after winning the Premier League for the second time in five years, it was Mohamed Salah who almost single-handedly dragged them to the title.
With 29 goals and 18 assists in the league alone – Salah had 34 goals and 23 assists overall – the no.11 was the best player in Europe. Now, his form has fallen off a cliff, with few indications he will reclaim his career-high form.
This season, 33-year-old Mo Salah has seven goals and eight assists in all competitions. It’s not as though he hasn’t played a lot of football. His 2,300 minutes prove this.
Yet something has changed. What life-changing event happened in the last several months that has been largely ignored by the broader media? The death of his teammate and close friend, Diogo Jota.
Many commenters have failed to include the tragic event in their critique and analysis of Liverpool this season. Steve Nicol is the latest.
Mohamed Salah’s decline is not that hard to figure out
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Speaking after a decent performance from Salah against West Ham, Nicol discussed Salah’s form on ESPN.
When asked about the cause of Salah’s poor form all season, his response was: _“I know that we’re employed here because we played and we’ve seen almost everything. I’ve never seen this. I’ve never seen this._
_“How somebody can go from the top of the mountain and just disappear so quickly is absolutely scary. I’ve never seen it before ever. I’ve no idea. All of the above could be true. So lack of confidence and irreversible decline._
_“It’s hard to argue that those aren’t two of the problems. I mean, seriously, go figure. I don’t think he could answer it. If you actually spoke to Mo Salah himself and asked him, he wouldn’t be able to tell you, right? I bet he wouldn’t.”_
Salah isn’t the only player who has struggled this season. Collectively, Liverpool are not the same as it was last season. But, reporting on the Egyptian’s poor season should reflect the grief Salah and his teammates are still processing.