The problem with consistent brilliance is that it becomes taken for granted and Mohamed Salah’s brilliance is taken for granted.
Because he is so prolific, for example, if Salah goes a handful of games without scoring, everyone want to know what is wrong with him.
He’s sulking, he is suffering a reaction to Egypt not qualifying for the World Cup, he is resting on his laurels after signing a lucrative new contract, whatever.
But having seen an awful lot of Salah in 2022, it is hard to recall a game in which he did not have some sort of impact.
And while, in terms of numbers, he has had more productive years, Salah’s statistics have not been too shabby. In the Premier League in 2022, the Egyptian has scored 14 Premier League goals and registered seven assists. In the Champions League in 2022, he has scored 15 and assisted three times.
He remains a phenomenal force.
And one of the things that really sets Salah apart is his durability, one of the most undervalued qualities in an elite player. Once again, Salah has not missed a single game through injury. He might have been occasionally rested but he is always available. And considering some of the treatment he gets, that is a remarkable achievement in itself.
Salah does not just have to deal with the physical attention, he has to deal with the weight of expectation. With Sadio Mane having left for Bayern Munich, his status as Liverpool ’s game-changer has been emphasised even more.
And it is very rare he does not respond to that challenge - that is why his fellow professionals made him the PFA Player of the Year for the 2021-22 season.
If you needed a reminder, he provided it in spectacular fashion in Liverpool’s last away game before the World Cup break, scoring two beauties to give Jurgen Klopp’s side a 2-1 win over Spurs.
After that game, Klopp had this to say about his star man: “When you look back, everybody will remember one of the best strikers you ever saw because his numbers will be absolutely insane.
“He scored two goals and played like a real team player. Top performance and outstanding attitude.”
And that is Mohamed Salah in a nutshell. And that was Mohamed Salah in 2022 … and every other year he has been at Liverpool.
Mohamed Salah has been included on a nine-person shortlist for Fans' Footballer of the Year. Use the form above to vote or click here.
Have you voted for Salah, or does someone else deserve to win? Have your say in the comments.
