There was a lot of change at Liverpool this summer.
By Sam McGuire
Jürgen Klopp departed and was replaced by Arne Slot. The Dutchman brought in a number of his own staff as he looked to fill the voids left by the post-Klopp exodus behind the scenes.
Slot has looked to implement a new system. Players have to learn different tactical instructions while coming to terms with adjusted expectations and varied demands.
A new coffee bar was also added to the training ground at Kirkby.
Lots of change, both on and off the pitch but the same old Mohamed Salah. You could even argue that what we’ve gotten is a new, improved Salah.
The three-time Golden Boot winner is running riot this season.
As we head into the November international break, only Erling Haaland (12) has more goals than the Liverpool forward (eight) while only Bukayo Saka (seven) can better his haul of six assists. The 32-year-old leads the Premier League for goal involvements (14) and he’s currently the player with the highest-rated FotMob average. Salah is the only player in the English top-fight to have a rating of over eight (8.02) to be exact after 11 matches.
His assist against Aston Villa was his 75th in the league and it took him above Thierry Henry (74). He’s now just five away from cracking the top 10. Salah is just 11 goals away from matching the Arsenal striker’s haul of 175 Premier League goals.
In the form he’s currently in, you wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to do that this season. He’s just 13 goals off of Frank Lampard (sixth in the list of all-time Premier League goalscorers) and 20 behind fifth-placed Sergio Aguero.
It isn’t a stretch to think Salah, if he remains at Liverpool for at least one more season, could crack the top four. Andy Cole currently holds the fourth position in the table with 187 goals.
He’s primed to claim another record this season too. His goal and assist against Aston Vila, a win that moved Liverpool five points clear at the top of the table, was the 36th time he’s scored and assisted in a Premier League game. Wayne Rooney is the only other player to have accomplished this feat that many times. With 20 games still to play, there’s every chance Salah becomes the outright leader for this particular metric before the 2024/25 campaign comes to an end.
Salah has ramped things up when many expected him to be slowing things down.
Now 32, he’s been playing a lot of high intensity football for one of the most physically demanding coaches in the world for seven seasons. He suffered his first real injury last season and didn’t appear to be the same player upon his return.
He’s having to learn a new role for a new manager, all while not knowing what is going on with his future. After starring against Manchester United in August, he revealed the club hadn’t opened talks over a new deal. His current contract expires at the end of the season. It would’ve been easy for him to almost phone it in. To just go through the motions until he knew where he’d be playing football next season.
He’s won everything. He’s a Liverpool legend. He doesn’t have to be proving himself, once again. He shouldn’t be playing for a new deal, but he quite clearly is. He’s showing Richard Hughes that despite turning 33 at the end of this campaign, he’s still the best attacker at the club. In fact, he’s probably the best attacker in the Premier League and you’d be hard-pressed to find many better anywhere across Europe.
Ramy Abbas Issa, Salah’s agent, recently claimed Salah is the best player in the world. He’s biased, of course, but he’s also probably right. It makes the recent Ballon d’Or snub even more bizarre. The Liverpool No.11 didn’t even make the 30-man shortlist despite his goalscoring exploits last season. If he continues on at his current rate, though, and Liverpool continue to win games in every competition, he’s going to be in the mix for next year’s Ballon d’Or. He might even be the favourite for it.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from the Premier League on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.