Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James believes the Reds look better without Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian sat out the win over Leicester City.
Mohamed Salah didn’t feature against Leicester City but Liverpool were fantastic. Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino both scored in a 3-0 win at Anfield.
And David James doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that Liverpool looked better without Salah. He believes the Reds are a more fluid side without the Egyptian.
“It’s not that Mo Salah isn’t a great player,” he told Stadium Astro. “It’s just that Liverpool seem to look better without him on the field because there’s more fluidity.
“When players can pop it around, it causes problems to defend and it opens up opportunities. Players who pick the ball up and run with it, essentially you just have to stop them.
“And so often, that’s what happens with Salah, even though he’s scored eight goals.”
What RTK has to say
No Liverpool player averages more key passes in a game than Salah. In fact, no one really comes close.
Salah creates, on average, 2.6 chances per game – the next highest is Sadio Mane at 1.9. That 2.6 average is the fourth-best in the entire Premier League.
The Egyptian also just passes more on average than the other forwards. He completes around 38 per game – Firmino is next highest on 34.
As for dribbling, Salah is third for Liverpool with 1.9 per game. Mane is first with 2.9.
So, really, the idea that Salah just picks the ball up and runs with it – and that everyone else passes – is complete nonsense. He passes more than anyone in Liverpool’s attack and doesn’t even dribble the most.
And that’s before we get into things like taking one game as evidence. Salah was phenomenal in a 5-0 win away at Atalanta – does that not count as an example of Liverpool being rather good with him?
Liverpool kept a clean-sheet without Virgil van Dijk, but no one seems to suggest the Reds defend better.
But really, Salah’s record speaks for itself – both this season and ever since his £34m arrival.
He’s got seven goals and an assist in his last eight games, one of which he didn’t even start. He’s sensational and is Liverpool’s best forward.
And we’ll end with one more stat on Salah’s passing, just to completely disprove the idea that you can’t ‘pop it around’ with him in the team.
Of forwards to have played at least two games in the Premier League this season, Salah is fifth on average number of passes per game. He has two more goals than the four players above him combined.
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