Mohamed Salah is considered to be Liverpool’s “Egyptian King,” but his reputation has lost some of its shine as a result of a subpar year under his leadership.
Salah wasted several chances and failed to lead the charge in defense in Liverpool’s humiliating 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday. He was below his best again.
The champions have suffered as a result of his absence from the scoresheet in five of Liverpool’s seven Premier League games this year.
Liverpool’s third defeat at Stamford Bridge since their eighth consecutive defeat saw them surpass Arsenal in the table.
In his nine starts this year, Salah has only made three goals and three assists overall.
Even more alarming than Salah’s statistics, which were mediocre by his high standards, was the sight of the 33-year-old taking little interest when Liverpool faced Chelsea on a game.
Liverpool right-back Conor Bradley was fouled at half-time after receiving a booking for his efforts to keep Chelsea at bay.
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Salah’s right flank tapped in to score the Brazilian’s stoppage-time winner, but Marc Cucurella’s unchecked advance set up the Brazilian’s goal.
Enzo Maresca, Chelsea manager, told them to use Salah’s defensive space, according to Cucurella.
The manager informed us that the space might be there, and we practiced that because Salah is always ready for the counter-attack.
Salah’s lethargic performance matched a significant decline in performance since the season’s climax.
As Liverpool ushered in its 20th English title, he scored 29 goals in 38 league games, earning the Premier League Golden Boot.
However, Salah’s influence has diminished since scoring twice in the 3-1 victory over Southampton in March.
You must assist, please.
In his final 11 games, he scored just twice in all competitions, helping Liverpool to fall short of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Salah boasted after Liverpool won the title that he had persuaded Reds manager Arne Slot to let him concentrate on scoring and creating goals rather than defending.
I said, “I will provide offensively as long as you rest me defensively.” The numbers will be displayed to you. So I’m glad I did, he said.
However, as Salah’s opponents expose the gaps left by that plan, it is starting to backfire.
Wayne Rooney, a former England and Manchester United player, has joined the growing chorus of disapproval of Salah’s work rate.
He may not always win back and defend himself as well. His full-back is torn apart and watching, he claimed on the BBC’s Wayne Rooney Show.
The team will tolerate that when things are going well and you are scoring goals. But I frequently question his work ethic over the past week.
The men in that dressing room ought to be telling him, “You need to help out.” Over the past week, he has appeared a little lost. ”
Danny Murphy, a former Liverpool midfielder, and Rooney concur.
Mohamed Salah’s lack of defensive play has become a problem for Liverpool, he said, especially when playing against better teams.
If Liverpool are to overcome their plight, Slot must address the issue.
Intriguingly, he conceded that his decision to leave Salah on the bench for the first hour of his Champions League defeat at Galatasaray last week despite acknowledging that it might have contributed to his lack of intelligence against Chelsea.
That is intriguing, I suppose. Did he miss the chances because he had a few chances but didn’t play during the week to create so much, or did he miss out on some opportunities if he had played against Galatasaray? The Dutchman said, “We will never know.”
In the meantime, Slot is praising patience as he attempts to restore Salah’s course.
Source: Channels TV
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