Life after a king is never easy, but Liverpool has not even said goodbye to Mohamed Salah before their front-foot intensity transitioned into a worrying sluggish vulnerability, raising serious alarms under Arne Slot.
Liverpool are set to finish the Premier League season with their lowest point total in exactly a decade, signaling the end of an era where they contributed to dominance, which also coincides with the decline of Mohamed Salah.
The Egyptian has already confirmed his imminent exit, but his usually underwhelming performances this season have been the difference between a team that already closed the title at this stage of last season, and one still in the hunt for Champions League football.
The Reds were put through a deja vu feeling at the Villa Park on Friday night as their eleven-game unbeaten run against the Birmingham club came to an end in a 4-2 defeat, a result that sends their host into next season’s Champions League while complicating their own chances.
Arne Slot’s team will have to beat Brentford in their final game of the season to seal the deal, but with Keith Andrews’ team also chasing a European spot next season, the farewell party for their departing heroes could be done in a hostile atmosphere in case of a loss.
But the decline of the season is down to a reality they will have to live with, as Mohamed Salah, who was their Messiah last season is unable to replicate his top form, and this is always going to be the case for a player past his prime.
Post-Mohamed Salah Disorder at Liverpool
For the first campaign since his arrival nine years ago, Mohamed Salah will finish the league season with less than 2500 minutes, a testament that age has started to take its toll on a player 34 on their next birthday.
The former Chelsea winger was awarded a two-year contract extension last summer following an incredible year, but his failure to replicate his extraordinary performance contributed to the tensions between himself and Arne Slot.
The Dutchman is probably frustrated that Salah could no longer deliver the goods, but this is a reality he should be prepared for heading into the future, if he wants to keep his job as Liverpool manager.
Salah’s presence in the team no longer has the influence it had in the past, but Liverpool’s failure to show they are ready to move on from him has contributed to their shortcomings.
Despite his underwhelming season, the Egyptian has played a direct involvement in 13 Premier League goals, five of which directly earned the club 15 out of their 59 points so far, while Hugo Ekitike, 22, is the only attacker to better his 21 goal involvement across all competitions.
After spending over €500 million to bring in stars like Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, and others in the last summer window, the Fenway Sports Group couldn’t have shown support to Arne Slot in a better way, but the failure of the recruits to really prove themselves has been a total setback for the project.
Relying on Mohamed Salah shouldn’t be the story of Liverpool at this point, but every time they take to the pitch, the feeling they give off is that the extra lift is missing, something only the Egyptian was capable of.
Reality is that it’ll never come. It’s either Arne Slot finds another way for Liverpool or bids farewell to the club, because persistence risks a return to the Liverpool of the dark era, where Europa League qualification was a luxury.
Their failure to sustain pressure up top has also left them vulnerable defensively. The team has already chipped in 75 goals across all competitions, their most in a single season in almost 34 years.
With 52 Premier League goals conceded, only five teams have let in more in the competition this season. It is also their most in the Premier League since the 1993-94 season, which they started with Graeme Souness but finished with Roy Evans after sacking the former halfway.
Evidence of Mohamed Salah’s missing impact
Aside from their flaws in attack, there is no difference between the current Liverpool and that of last season, and their increased amount of goals conceded is down to their failure to conquer the belief of their opponents.
Last season, the Reds averaged just over 57 percent of ball possession but have improved on that this term with over 59, although they rank second to Manchester City in both instances.
They have also registered 1200+ touches in the opposition box, which is just shy of 1400+ last season, but their efficiency within the final third is where the chasm between the two campaigns truly lies.
The form of Mohamed Salah last season not only helped them score goals but also create them. The outgoing star led the way for big chances created, helping Liverpool to a total of 150, at least 30 more than any other team.
They also averaged 6.1 shots on target per game, the best in the division, compared to 4.5 this season, which places them joint seventh alongside Aston Villa, but behind Bournemouth, Brighton, and even Newcastle United.
Liverpool finished last season with 86 Premier League goals, over 54 percent of which were scored or assisted by Mohamed Salah, but this season, they’ve managed just 62 with one game left, and Salah has been responsible for just 13 through scoring or assisting.
Way forward for Liverpool
Liverpool just need to find their rhythm in attack without Mohamed Salah. Although they also let go of Luis Diaz last summer, goal scoring should not be such a burden for a team with so much attacking talent.
This is also a club that has a lot of possible goalscorers with 14 different players finding the back of the net in the league this season, while only three have done so more frequently than defender Virgil van Dijk who has six after his brace at Villa Park.
While he remains in charge of the team, Arne Slot has to find the right balance in the team and determine which players better complement one another to rediscover the attacking spark that has always been the hallmark at Liverpool.
The years of heavy reliance on the brilliance of Mohamed Salah are gone, and it may take a while to get on as it is for clubs that have lost their greatest attackers, but in the end, to maintain elite status, like every other club, Liverpool has to move on.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
