Mohamed Salah has now gone nine Premier League matches without a goal for Liverpool for the first time. Our LFC jury gives its view.
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool(Image: Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock)
View Image
Liverpool have long conceded the defence of their Premier League title but kept Champions League qualification hopes alive with a last-gasp victory over Nottingham Forest last Sunday.
Alexis Mac Allister's stoppage-time winner kept the Reds in sixth place but drew them level on 45 points with Chelsea. It is widely expected that finishing in the Premier League top five will be enough to make it back into UEFA's premier European competition next season, but Arne Slot knows he will have his work cut out to meet that expectation amid fierce competition.
Our Liverpool FC fan jury has taken a look back at the City Ground drama and examined what it all means for Mohamed Salah and his future at the club.
James Noble
What a moment that winner was at Nottingham Forest on Sunday. Alexis Mac Allister’s persistence and nous ensured that three points were indeed clinched and that away end got a second, lasting, helping of unbridled joy. While the performance left plenty to be desired, the steely mentality offered encouragement.
Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo’s simultaneous substitution, Rio Ngumoha’s electric impact, and Salah going nine Premier League games without a goal for the first time each attracted understandable attention – although the latter is another reminder of the Egyptian’s astounding standards.
And, familiarly, there’s context. There’s Liverpool’s form. There are his four assists across those matches, plus two goals and one assist in other club competitions in that time. Granted, only two of the above came in open play.
There is the sense, and supporting statistical evidence, that the system is now less conducive to Salah being the attacking fulcrum. Regression may be a by-product of evolution. Still, the set-up, and attributes of those within it, can arguably be better aligned. Injury returnees and more, sensibly-managed Ngumoha minutes could all help.
With West Ham United’s visit on Saturday, the first of seven games in 22 days and Friday’s Champions League draw set to confirm whether we’ll face Galatasaray or Atlético Madrid twice in that stretch, hopefully the coming weeks’ intensity will bring further productive developments.
Andrew Cullen
What to make of Mohamed Salah’s season. We have seen turbulence, tantrums, and tiffs.
It’s important to remember the past. Salah will be in the pantheon of Liverpool greats. But as well as remembering the past, we must also look at the present. Even the most ardent Salah fan would have to accept that Salah’s form has precipitously dropped this year - he is absent, his finishing radar is skewed, and he is seemingly incapable of beating an opposition player. For periods last season, Salah carried the team, but this year the team are carrying Salah.
Looking towards the horizon, can we see a future Liverpool team with Salah leading the line? It would be premature to say that Salah is a spent force, but it does feel like his days at Liverpool are coming to a close. At the top level, your star players need to produce, and they need to produce each game.
Perhaps our tragic summer is to account for Salah’s dip, or maybe the structural tweaks and new personnel are contributing factors to his decline.
I would like to see Rio Ngumoha given an opportunity; he is quick and tricky. Our attack has been toothless this year, and Rio’s introduction may ignite it. Of course, there is still a role for Salah this year as we enter the key phase of the season where success is really measured. Let’s hope that Salah rages against his dying Liverpool light.