Mohamed Salah has been on the receiving end of an accusation to make him “angry” from Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness but he should pay it no mind.
The Egyptian has scored twice this season in the Premier League and has also laid on two assists, according to Transfermarkt.
He has been criticised for his lack of goals, particularly with Erling Haaland ploughing 10 goals in 6 games for Manchester City.
Liverpool are languishing in 7th after their latest draw – a 0-0 stalemate in the fiercely contested Merseyside Derby.
Did Jurgen Klopp get his Mohamed Salah tactics wrong again?
Salah struggled to make an impact, but it might not be his fault as the Egyptian has been isolated on the flanks in all the games in which Liverpool have struggled the most.
Even against Bournemouth, when Liverpool put 9 past the Cherries, Mohamed Salah didn’t get a single goal contribution – a confusing statistic given there were 7 different goalscorers for Liverpool.
But if we look back at the start of Salah’s career at Anfield, he exploded into life in the front four of Mane, Salah, Coutinho and Firmino.
What made him so dangerous was Jurgen Klopp playing him closer to goal than he had ever done.
Salah was much more of an inside forward than he was a winger and it put his incredible dribbling, movement, finishing and ability to continuously find himself in dangerous positions to good use.
This season, he has been way too far away from goal to affect the game enough.
Despite that, his creativity has increased hugely.
Is Mohamed Salah transitioning into a creative role in his 30s?
2022 has seen Mohamed Salah struggle to score goals but his creative powers have gone up a notch simultaneously.
This season, he has created more chances than any other player in Europe’s top 5 leagues.
Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz will be the main benefactors of this but Klopp needs to get the Egyptian back to goalscoring ways.
Graeme Souness makes “angry” Mo Salah accusation
The pundit said on Sky Sports has suggested that he’s worried Mohamed Salah is taking his foot off the gas after putting pen to paper on a new contract.
The 69-year-old said: “I’m looking at Salah for Liverpool against Man Utd and in the first five minutes Martinez goes right through him.
“The rest of the game, Mo Salah looked for Martinez and looked for where he was. I’ve not seen the same Mo Salah since.
“I just hope – and he’s signed the big contract he wanted – but at this level if you knock off half a per cent or one per cent then you are not the same player.
“I hope this is not him getting semi into his armchair because he has signed a big contract.
“I’m saying that as a Liverpool supporter – hopefully to make him angry and prove me wrong.”
Why Graeme Souness is wrong about Mohamed Salah
The Scotsman has revealed his concerns regarding Salah and his commitment to this Liverpool team.
And I have the perfect counter.
This is a 19-second clip that shows the 30-year-old sprinting the length of the pitch in the 65th minute to prevent Everton from scoring on the break.
“I hope this is not Salah getting semi into his armchair because he has signed a big contract.” — Graeme Souness post the Everton gamepic.twitter.com/KXX1y8kaYJ
— Parted Beard (@PartedBeard) September 4, 2022
Salah has done this on occasion throughout his Liverpool career and his work rate and commitment are not to be questioned.
If Jurgen Klopp can help Mohamed Salah refind his goalscoring boots, Liverpool could attempt a title charge but that will also largely depend on luck with injuries.
