Mohamed Salah may still be Liverpool’s “Egyptian King”, but the forward’s crown appears to have lost some of its shine during a disappointing run of form that has raised serious concerns about his effort and contribution to the team.
The 33-year-old produced another lacklustre performance during Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday, missing several chances and offering little defensive support. Salah has failed to score in five of Liverpool’s seven Premier League matches this season, and the reigning champions have felt the impact.
The loss at Stamford Bridge marked Liverpool’s third defeat in just eight days, allowing Arsenal to move above them to the top of the table. So far this season, Salah has managed only three goals and three assists in nine appearances across all competitions, figures well below his usual standards.
More troubling than the numbers, however, was Salah’s apparent lack of urgency when Liverpool were under pressure against Chelsea. With little cover from the forward, right-back Conor Bradley struggled to contain Chelsea’s attacks, picking up a booking and being substituted at half-time. Chelsea’s stoppage-time winner, scored by Estevao Willian, originated from Salah’s flank, with Marc Cucurella given space to deliver the decisive pass.
Cucurella later revealed that Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca had identified Salah’s lack of defensive cover as a weakness to target.
“We know that Salah is always ready for the counter-attack so we practised that and the manager said that the space might be there,” he said.
Salah’s struggles are not new. After scoring twice in a 3-1 win over Southampton in March, his form has steadily declined. He managed just two goals in his final 11 appearances of last season, a period in which Liverpool were eliminated from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain.
Following Liverpool’s title triumph, Salah had revealed he negotiated with manager Arne Slot to focus solely on attacking duties.
“I told him as long as you rest me defensively, I will provide offensively. I will show you the numbers. So I’m glad that I did,” Salah said at the time.
That strategy, however, is now under intense scrutiny, as opponents continue to exploit the space Salah leaves behind.
Wayne Rooney, former Manchester United and England forward, has criticised Salah’s work ethic, especially during the Chelsea match.
“We know he doesn’t always get back and defend as much. But in the Chelsea game his full-back is getting torn apart and he’s watching,” Rooney said on the Wayne Rooney Show on the BBC.
“When it’s going well and you are scoring goals, the team will put up with that. But over the last week I’d question his work ethic. Those leaders in that dressing room should be telling him, ‘You need to help out.’ He’s looked a little bit lost over the last week.”
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy echoed the concerns, suggesting Salah’s lack of defensive support has become a growing issue for the team.
“It feels like Mohamed Salah’s lack of defensive work has become a little problem for Liverpool, especially against the better teams,” Murphy said.
Slot now faces the challenge of finding a solution to this dilemma. Salah was left on the bench for the first hour of last week’s Champions League loss to Galatasaray, and the Liverpool manager later acknowledged that the decision may have affected the forward’s sharpness against Chelsea.
“That’s interesting. Did he create so much because he didn’t play during the week or did he miss the chances because he missed a bit of sharpness that he could have had if he had played against Galatasaray? We will never know,” Slot said.
For the moment, Slot is urging patience as he works to reinvigorate his star player.
“It’s not like every chance he gets is always a goal,” he said. “We feel sometimes it is, because of what he has done so many times. But yeah, he is a human being.”
As Liverpool aim to regain momentum, the spotlight will remain firmly on Salah, and whether he can once again lead by example on both ends of the pitch.
