Arsenal legend Ian Wright has weighed in with his analysis on why Mohamed Salah’s form for Liverpool has taken such a big turn for the worse so far this season.
The Egypt international was unstoppable for the Reds last season as he won the Golden Boot on the way to leading the club to the Premier League title.
However, he looks a shadow of his former self at the moment, and Wright believes he’s missing the presence of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The former Liverpool right-back was a key player alongside Salah on that side of the pitch, giving him quality passing that helped to unleash him.
Wright says Liverpool have now taken that away from Salah, and he looks like “a passenger” as a result.
Ian Wright on Mohamed Salah’s poor Liverpool form
Speaking on the Overlap, Wright was one of a number of pundits discussing the issues at Liverpool at the moment.
While Paul Scholes slammed Milos Kerkez’s poor start since joining LFC from Bournemouth in the summer, Salah explained the big issue with Salah no longer having Alexander-Arnold behind him.
“If you haven’t got someone like Trent to release him when he’s in that phase where, oh, he’s free, where you got someone who can hit him straight away, then he looks exactly what he looks like now … they’ve taken that away from him. They’ve taken that away from Mo Salah,” Wright said.
“He can’t get that ball early. He can’t get that great ball from Trent and he can’t go and do his thing. When you look at him now, he just looks like he looks like a passenger.”
Can Mohamed Salah bounce back for Liverpool?
It will be a big challenge for Arne Slot to get Salah firing again now that the shape of the team looks so different from last season.
The Merseyside giants not only miss Alexander-Arnold, but have a host of new signings that need to settle in, and that just hasn’t happened yet.
Salah is also not getting any younger, so it might be that he really peaked last season and it’ll be hard for him to hit that kind of form again.
All you football experts looking to take Mo Salah down are clueless. Mo Salah is still a very dangerous player… give him the room and he will still punish you. Mo has still got alot to give and he will. Once this team settles all the EXPERTS will be looking to hide under a big rock. When Mo, Isak and Hugo find the grove this combination will be just a dangerous as Mo, Mane & Firmino were… You all forget!! Our data Backroom Staff are the best in the league. Titles are not won in October… LFC will monster the league when Santa is about to visit at Christmas. Look out and shhhhh you journalists just looking for ‘click bait’ … Good luck !
Well said, TZ.
Too many weak and easy opinions swayed by media exaggerating and spinning facts for political reasons.
Mo’s a legend. One of our greatest. Always will be.
Sulking about someone who was so keen to leave he did even close the door behind him on the way out. But he could have a point but it shouldn’t be an excuse. His form has been poor from the last 6 games of last season plus now this season.
This is more to do with bereavement than TAA.
Did he, or didn’t he “close the door” ?
You don’t seem too sure, Hughe
Re. Mo’s bereavement.
Asked him personally and had it put in writing, have we ?
Play a 3-4-3 and Mo would get balls much closer to the goal. THAT’S what’s missing: 4 wide midfielders, then he wouldn’t need to come back so near the mid line!
Canny opponents would likely exploit the centre then, Michael.
3-4-3’s not worked too well for Utd recently, has it ?
Good result for them yesterday, but they ain’t consistently good yet.
We have a winning formula as it is, it’s the mixture of a loss of focus and lack of application at key moments in matches that are costing us atm.