The picture is even bleaker for Mohamed Salah, the popular and prolific electric homegrown forward for Liverpool. This has been a cause for concern among fans and analysts in a panic. His recent performances during league matches against Crystal Palace and Chelsea have been underwhelming, leading to questions about his form and impact on the pitch. Salah’s been in red-hot form, with three goals and three assists in under ten matches this season. His contributions have not played out to the extremely high bar his history has set.
In the recent game against Chelsea, Salah was presented with a perfect opportunity to level less than a minute into the second half. Sadly, he did, continuing a season-long trend. This wasn’t an isolated case. After two games featuring three or fewer touches in the opposition box, Salah has now done that twice this season. These figures underscore just how much he has fallen off offensively from last year. At that time he scored 17 goals, his career-high with the club.
Recent Form and Challenges
Salah’s 2023 season so far has led to intense criticism from pundits and ex-pros alike. Jamie Carragher remarked, “It’s fair to say he hasn’t been great for Liverpool so far.” His performance has come under fire, most notably for his lack of decision making and finishing prowess. Carragher elaborated, “There are some decisions from him today when he comes inside, and you think he should pass it or do something better with it, and his finishing was so poor.”
True, these are all valid criticisms, but Salah’s baseline production is still pretty good. He’s been a dominant force off the edge. He was on the scoresheet in their last Champions League match, scoring a vital goal against Atletico Madrid and providing a sublime assist for Ryan Gravenberch in the Merseyside derby. But the difference between these flashes of creativity and his performances over the past few weeks paints a picture of troubling inconsistency.
“The statistics don’t even tell the whole story,” – Julian Nagelsmann
This simple statement belies the complexity of Salah’s predicament. Though the statistics might suggest a solid return, they miss the deeper context behind his overall effect on games. Salah’s pressing, attacking verve, and dribbling skills were instrumental in Liverpool’s successes last season. On the current campaign, things have taken a turn—with Salah’s gifts largely underused to this point.
Tactical Adjustments and Team Dynamics
One factor contributing to Salah’s struggles may be tactical adjustments made by Liverpool’s management. Salah had apparently agreed with the club’s manager Jürgen Klopp. This deal allows him more offensive freedom by reducing his defensive responsibilities. This tactical move may be affecting his team’s dynamic to weight the balance of play and Salah’s versatility to make influential adjustments to the match.
To maximize Salah’s talents, Carragher generally cautioned that Liverpool need to diversify their attacking strategies in order to work the Egyptian into their offensive attack. He stated, “Liverpool have got to do more for him because he’s not getting the ball anywhere near as often as he did before [at Leverkusen].” Whether this is the reality, however, is the sentiment that Salah both believes and must convey in order for him and the team to reach their highest potential.
More than anything, full-back woes have added to Liverpool’s on-pitch malaise this season. As Carragher observed, the team is “missing Trent,” in a nod to the current absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold through injury. This gap in the lineup has pushed Salah to have to adapt into a different tactical environment.
“They’ve got problems at full-back,” – source
These factors have complicated Liverpool’s attacking fluidity and Salah’s access to the ball in dangerous spaces. Consequently, he’s been drawn more into the build up where he has a noticeably lesser role in creating goal-scoring opportunities.
Looking Ahead: Potential for Improvement
As Salah continues to fight through these challenges, there’s cause for optimism given the curve of the season so far. Salah’s history of superlatives just leapt off the page. Last season, he won double footballer of the year for his astounding contributions offensively as well as defensively. Those superb talents and experience indicate that he is more than able to regain his impact on the floor and trailblazing presence in the locker room.
Salah’s character — and the rest of this Liverpool squad as well — will undoubtedly be tested as the club works to overcome this challenging stretch. He’ll have to fight through his latest mini slump in form, as well as learning to adjust to new, changing chemistry with the rest of the Raptor’s roster. First and foremost, though, he needs to rediscover his rhythm. For the best of his success, it’s a question not just of his individual brilliance but Liverpool’s capacity to modify their tactics to better utilize him.
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