Robbie Fowler thinks that Mohamed Salah is struggling to find the space he needs to score goals for Liverpool.
Covering the game against Aston Villa last night, Fowler spoke to Stadium Astro at the full-time whistle.
Asked why Salah is finding it difficult to score for The Reds of late, the Liverpool legend said he thinks teams are now marking him more closely than ever.
“You look at teams now when they are playing against him, they do seem to be getting a bit closer to him stopping him from turning,” said Fowler.
“Mo Salah when he gets the ball, his first thought is to turn and run at a defender. No one’s allowing him to do that. You watch him closely now, the ball comes up to him and the defender’s right up behind him and stopping him from turning. I’m not saying people are reading too much into how he plays but it’s tough for him.”
Salah finally got a little bit of rest against Villa, not entering the pitch until the 72nd minute. It was only a cameo, but it meant that the Egyptian hasn’t scored in his last six games for Liverpool.
Salah looking vulnerable in Golden Boot race
The last goals Mo scored for The Reds were two well-taken finishes against Manchester United on April 19th. Prior to that, Salah had gone another six-game stretch without finding the net.
It has been a fruitless second-half of the season for the 29-year-old. After looking like he would run away with the Premier League Golden Boot earlier in the year, he has now been almost pegged back by Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min.
As long as Liverpool continue to find the goals from elsewhere, it isn’t a huge problem. And Salah has still looked dangerous. But individual awards are clearly something very high up on Salah’s list of priorities.
Should he fail to finish as top scorer having been so far ahead of the rest, it will hurt his confidence.
Ironically, if what Fowler is saying is accurate, and it does look that way, Sadio Mane’s goal-scoring form could benefit Salah.
Along with Luis Diaz, Mane is now the danger man for Liverpool. Whereas teams were doubling up on Salah, they may now have to switch their attention to Diaz and Mane to stop The Reds from scoring.
Hopefully displays like the one last night from the attacking pair can help switch the focus to them and allow Mo the freedom to do what he does best.
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