Liverpool: A stat that brings Mohamed Salah’s decline this season to light
Mohamed Salah has, by some level, seen a decline this season. I wasn’t sure I would be saying, possibly ever, but he has. The reason for that is, is a different story altogether. Liverpool have been struggling in general, it’s not just Salah, but I think Salah not being able to provide for Liverpool as well as he used to is definitely a factor.
According to a stat by Mail, Salah’s touches per 90 have gone down from 50 last season to 39 this season, an 11-point reduction. And his touches inside the penalty box per 90 have gone down from 9.6 to 7.3, a 2.3-point jump. At this point last season, Salah had scored 15 goals, to his current tally of seven in the Premier League.
His goals per 90, and shots per 90, all of them have gone down massively from last season. The question is, is it really just his fault?
It’s not just Salah’s fault, it’s Liverpool’s collective failure as a unit
Well, I guess Salah is at fault for some of it. Poor form comes around for every single striker to ever lace up. But he’s also been playing every single game, because Liverpool don’t have many other players that are as reliable in the offense.
It’s also the system. The fluidity the team had last season, when Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane were alongside him, provided him with a lot of space and freedom. I guess the midfield also plays a part, the player behind him is always really inefficient in the offense, so it also has an effect.
The whole system is flawed right now, and not just Salah, every single player is affected because of it. Salah is just talked about more because he’s the team’s best player; he’s the team’s top scorer.
That’s not to say he doesn’t deserve his share of criticism, he’s been a shadow of the player he once was for Livrepool, but that could change in an instant, we know Salah. Salah can single-handedly change the game on his own, and that’s a fact.
Want your voice heard? Join the Rush The Kop team!
Some fans have been calling for him to be benched. I mean, who’s going to replace him, really? And whoever that does, would they have the same cold-blooded mentality to change the game even on bad form like Salah can? I don’t think so