Topic: Mohamed Salah - Best in the World *

[Black Bull Nova]

Down to him, if he wants to be here, he signs up, if he does not it's down to the new team to make a decision

[PhilV]

Down to him, if he wants to be here, he signs up, if he does not it's down to the new team to make a decision

In a way, Klopp has reminded me of something, it is always good to leave on a high or as he says "in a good moment" than to know you are running out of energy and your quality is dropping, if he does leave this summer, it will still be with great numbers as one of the best ever for us... if he leaves next summer, I just hope Slot can reignite some fire in his belly which to me seems to have been lost recently.

[MD1990]

I see no less motivation.
This is a lazy comment when a player team is struggling.
He very simply has lost a lot of confidence in front of goal as has Diaz & Nunez.
I am sure it will come back

[lfc79]

Whether Salah can playa role in the team going forward is hard question and why we pay millions for a manager, however it is clear he can't play the same role wide on the right , particularly if we don't have an attacking right back overlapping him. While he can still hold the ball up and has great control and passing, the lack of pace 1v1 means that every full back gets tight to him compared to backing off and giving him space a couple of season ago, and even if Salah makes good runs they are able to recover and get back to him, I would speculate if this is effecting his confidence a little causing him to rush shots etc.

[Barryg21]

Agreed
The missed lob vs Atalanta was evidence of this - feeling a defender breathing down your neck and you snatch
2 yrs ago he has much more time and space, and everything gets easier

[Hestoic]

I see no less motivation.
This is a lazy comment when a player team is struggling.
He very simply has lost a lot of confidence in front of goal as has Diaz & Nunez.
I am sure it will come back

He has lost two players that play alongside him for years that were on his level. There was a pass in the second half with the outside of his boot that set up Gakpo basically in front of goal and he didn't do much with it. Bobby would have buried it. There's been many instances of that this season where Mo's numbers would have been better had better passes been made to him or if more chances he set up were put away.

That's no sleight on the others to say they are not at the level of two of the best players to play for us in Firmino and Mane, but their quality hasn't been replaced with Jota the only one who comes close (if not on par). It's a shame he has missed so much of the season.

I hope Salah extends. He's the only real superstar quality we have up front, and we really need to add more.

[Agent99]

His finishing wasn't the best yesterday but I thought he looked good. He even did an old school cut in on to his left before twatting it which he's been criticised for not doing any more.

[Scottymuser]

I also wouldnt mind if he stays. He's not as good as he used to be, but he hasnt fallen off a cliff like Henderson or Fabinho.

13 non-penalty goals, and 10 assists, from 2534 mins is still a goal or assist every 110 mins.   That is still world class, and top 5-10 in the league easily

[Scottymuser]

He has lost two players that play alongside him for years that were on his level. There was a pass in the second half with the outside of his boot that set up Gakpo basically in front of goal and he didn't do much with it. Bobby would have buried it. There's been many instances of that this season where Mo's numbers would have been better had better passes been made to him or if more chances he set up were put away.

That's no sleight on the others to say they are not at the level of two of the best players to play for us in Firmino and Mane, but their quality hasn't been replaced with Jota the only one who comes close (if not on par). It's a shame he has missed so much of the season.

I hope Salah extends. He's the only real superstar quality we have up front, and we really need to add more.

Bobby was not a prolific goal scorer.  He often under-performed his xG - 4 of the 6 seasons fbref have xG data on he did; as did Mane who also underperformed in 4 of his 6 seasons.  Salah was always the main goal scorer.  Nunez, from a goals + assists standpoint, *IS* 100% "to the same standard" in terms of numbers - 2047 mins, 11 goals and 8 assists, so one every 108 mins.  Mane has *never* was that good - his best season was 18 goals and 7 assists from 2747 mins, or one every 110; and averaged one every 134 mins.  Firmino averaged one every 140 mins, with only one season better than one every 110 (his freakish last season, with 11 goals and 4 assists, at one every 81).

Mane obviously played less centrally, and tracked back supporting Robbo brilliantly (I think Nunez has shown this season a decent improvement in this) and Bobby was more creative and stitched play together better than anyone obviously.  But it is simply untrue to say that, from an attacking standpoint, that they were both a level "better" than Nunez, at least from objective statistics.

[rob1966]

His finishing wasn't the best yesterday but I thought he looked good. He even did an old school cut in on to his left before twatting it which he's been criticised for not doing any more.

That was a great save, thought it was in

[Garlicbread]

https://x.com/MoSalah/status/1792641666521723388

We know that trophies are what count and we will do everything possible to make that happen next season. Our fans deserve it and we will fight like hell.

[Samie]

Mo staying then, move him up top.

[Phineus]

Great stuff.

[Hazell]

Mo staying then, move him up top.

Play him in the now defunct no.10 position, he's one of the best playmakers in the league.

[Wilmo]

That was a great save, thought it was in

Beautiful save, matched the quality of the shot as he was blinded to it. Really impressed with Sa every time I see him

Mo might be one of the ones to benefit most by a change in manager, he needs to adapt his game at this point and a fresh point of view will only help that I feel

[rob1966]

Beautiful save, matched the quality of the shot as he was blinded to it. Really impressed with Sa every time I see him

Mo might be one of the ones to benefit most by a change in manager, he needs to adapt his game at this point and a fresh point of view will only help that I feel

Yes he's a really good keeper is Sa.

Yeah sometimes a new manager just tweaks things and players benefit

[Too early for flapjacks?]

Our top scorer and assister in the PL. Keep.

[newterp]

Our top scorer and assister in the PL. Keep.

he's not a keeper. he's a striker, winger, and sort of midfielder.

[KC7]

Beautiful save, matched the quality of the shot as he was blinded to it. Really impressed with Sa every time I see him

Mo might be one of the ones to benefit most by a change in manager, he needs to adapt his game at this point and a fresh point of view will only help that I feel

Wonderful effort by Mo. Very little backlift, and it took a great save to stop it.

Just saying in the transfer thread, we have been slow in our play from midfield over the past two seasons. The pressing machine it is not, and too often it takes so long for the ball to get forward that the opposition defence is set, penalty area is congested, making it very difficult for the forwards. Nunez in his two years here has yet to play in a side that is at full power, winning the ball high and putting the forwards in quickly, closer to goal and with defences scrambling. At West Ham for example, we had 28 shots, yet very few were clear cut chances. We need to be more athletic in midfield, pressing faster, and setting the forwards through with space to run into. Slot is big on this apparently and if he can implement this (helped by one or two key signings) that will only be beneficial to the forwards.

Just picked up on this:

3. On his pressing philosophy
“We always want to create a surplus around the ball, both offensively and defensively so that we can lock down the opponent and immediately move forward. We always have to press the ball aggressively when we are outnumbered. That is why our defenders must be as high as possible on the field, so that we can win the ball in the opponent’s half and immediately launch a counter-attack.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/05/20/arne-slot-liverpool-manager-contract-signed-key-players/

That is music to the ears for any forward. We were at our best offensively between 2018 to 2022 as we pressed the life out of teams and put the forwards through in space. Had Nunez been in that side I think we would have seen a different player (he looked it at Benfica, including against us). We have been too slow since then.

[jepovic]

https://x.com/MoSalah/status/1792641666521723388

We know that trophies are what count and we will do everything possible to make that happen next season. Our fans deserve it and we will fight like hell.

Not putting much value on the Caraboa cup...

[faisfais]

Not putting much value on the Caraboa cup...

Glad to know I was not the only one who felt that way! I love the League Cup