Salah form ‘last thing’ Slot worries about – plus surprise stats on his season

Mohamed Salah’s form is the last thing Liverpool manager Arne Slot needs to think about, according to slot.

As Liverpool slipped into the Premier League title race, Salah was the team’s top scorer last season, scoring 29 goals and adding 18 assists.

The 33-year-old has only managed three league goals this season as Liverpool struggled to maintain their title-winning form after spending about £415 million on attacking talent in the summer.

After falling to Manchester United at Anfield four times in a row on Sunday night, Slot started Salah on the bench for their 5-1 Champions League victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.

When asked about Salah’s form at a news conference on Friday, Slot responded, “The main thing is that he always has scored goals for Liverpool.”

“Moto scoring goals once more is the last thing I worry about.” He has done that his entire life, and I anticipate that in the upcoming weeks and months.

Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, and Florian Wirtz were all incorporated into Slot’s revamped system in Frankfurt, but the Swede’s groin injury, which occurred in the first half, could cause Salah to be reinstated to the starting lineup at Brentford on Saturday.

The Egypt winger has lost seven Premier League games in a row without scoring a goal that is not a penalty since joining Liverpool in 2017.

Players generally miss chances in football, and he is a human being, said he. He’s not used to missing chances, Slot said.

The Liverpool manager claimed that Salah’s comparatively slow start to the season may be a result of the summer arrivals and the departure of right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid.

Although he has played his entire Liverpool career [up until this season] with him, “it could be a factor,” Slot said.

Salah had seven goals and the same number of assists at this point last year. He only has three of both this season.

Erling Haaland, the winner of the Premier League Golden Boot last season, is already eight goals behind.

Cody Gakpo and Ekitike have both contributed more points this year, but Salah has already led the way in assists (three).

However, there are some positive aspects. Salah has 19 chances this season for Liverpool, down from his previous total of 21 after 12 games. He has thus far produced more open-play crosses than he did last season.

But why has his goal total dropped so dramatically this year?

This is a continuation of his poor form, which was evident towards the end of last season when he only managed three goals in Liverpool’s final 11 games.

Additionally, there are abundant signs that Liverpool are struggling to get him as much ball, with his average touches per game significantly lower than it has been throughout his Anfield career.

He is only allowing 1.6 dribbles per game, less than half of the average of the previous campaign, and he is only averaging just 6.2 touches in the opposition box this year.

Salah’s struggles are reflected in his struggles, whether it is due to his closer proximity to full-backs, his challenges adapting to the new signings, or simply his time catching up with him. His average of just 0.3% dribbles per game.

Liverpool’s new signings and playstyle may also be a factor. One exit also might exist.

The Egyptian forward’s departure from Real Madrid and Salah and Alexander-Arnold’s successful partnership down Liverpool’s right have likely had an impact on the pair.

Last season, Alexander-Arnold completed 147 line-breaking passes for Salah in the Premier League, or 39 more than any other team combined.

In the 33 league games that featured, according to data analyst Opta, Salah scored 27 goals on 33.8 shots per game, had a 0.48 non-penalty xG, and had 10.5 touches in the opposition’s box.

Salah has only scored four goals, two of which were penalties, in the 12 games Alexander-Arnold didn’t play across last season and this. He averages 2.3 shots per game, has a 0.3 non-penalty xG, and has 7.2 touches in the opposition’s box.

Is Salah already too late to be rejected? It is, of course,.

When he only scored one non-penalty goal in his final nine Premier League games between 2023 and 2024, some were suggesting that his age was catching up with him before he resurrected a season to remember last term.