It takes a team to win trophies but it is quite useful to have an individual enjoy the season of their life. Mohamed Salah is that for Liverpool. Highlighting his importance to his side’s success is not exactly controversial but any praise is merited after driving his team into pole position as the business end approaches.
Salah leads the Premier League scoring and creativity charts with 22 goals and 14 assists to put Liverpool clear at the top. On a difficult night at Goodison Park in midweek, he set up the opener before scoring in a game of few chances, the ninth time this season he has achieved such a feat. Sunday’s opponents Wolves will be well aware of his threat, although attempting to nullify him is more difficult.
Of late, players have been winding down at 32 as their bodies slow down but Salah is part of a new generation, powered by modern science. He is disciplined physically and mentally, with a barely blemished injury record. He has made at least 32 appearances in every season since joining Liverpool in 2017 and he has been an ever-present under Arne Slot.
“In certain things you can see he’s 32,” Slot says. “He’s so experienced and so smart and knows so well where the ball will fall. That’s a positive thing about being 32 that he has lived through so many situations and that he just feels ‘the ball could fall there’ and he’s there.
“In other parts, like how fit he is, what he does to be able to play every three days at his age. He’s not the only one who’s able to do that, I think Cristiano [Ronaldo] is still doing that at the age of 40. Mo is definitely also an example, like Virgil [van Dijk], for so many of our younger players, how fit they are and how able they are to bring their best performances out every three days at their age.”
Liverpool have lost one match in the league this season but Slot is keen to emphasise that despite what looks like domination, it has been a battle to stay at the summit. Few teams have received a thrashing. Often the difference is a 5ft 9in man from a small village in Egypt, as was clear against Everton. Salah has failed to score in only a quarter of 24 league games. “Every manager loves to work with the best players in the world, because if you do an exercise or you try to have an idea about how you want to play, these players can execute that even better,” says Slot. “But what excites me most is that Mo is a very humble person that wants to work every day to become a better player. And that excites me most about him, that he has that quality, that he’s not the only one. He has some teammates that have a lot of quality as well.”
Salah has defined his own role on the right wing, drifting into the gap between centre-half and full-back. Like Arjen Robben before him, he is an expert at curling the ball into the far corner but is equally capable of getting into the right positions for tap-ins. His 179 goals place him sixth in the Premier League’s all-time scoring list (he is 10th in assists) five behind Sergio Agüero and a further two back from Andy Cole, both of whom he may well pass this season.
Whether Salah moves into the top three is blowing in the wind, and the days are ticking down on his current contract. Changing sporting director and sourcing a new head coach hindered Liverpool’s prospects of a speedy resolution to renewals, with Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold also yet to sign, although Salah has an offer on the table. If he does leave, the most-likely destination is Saudi Arabia, which will provide an increase in wages but drop in standards.
Salah is Liverpool’s Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Kevin De Bruyne, the shining light that drags teams through the tough periods with commitment, energy and, most importantly, world-class quality. Winning trophies is never easy but Salah will keep leading the way in breezes and gusts in search of glory.
