Egypt international has seen an upturn in form but is no longer the force he was
Mo Salah is back among the goals for Liverpool. The Egyptian has scored four goals for the club since his return from Africa Cup of Nations duty. He has also produced four assists in that time, making it four goals and four assists in his last 11 games.
The latest of those was a strike to double Liverpool’s lead in their FA Cup tie against Wolves last weekend. The Reds ultimately won 3-1.
Yet it would seem all is not quite right. Such have been the Egyptian king’s stratospheric performances over the past nine years that even this reasonably upward curve feels like nothing.
Former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann stirred up fresh doubts at the weekend over the output of the winger, claiming his drop in attacking threat has had a ripple effect on the entire team.
“They’re all struggling, and the issue with Mohamed Salah is that, in the form he’s been in over the last decade, he didn’t just score and create goals, he created space for others,” Hamman told Boyle Sports.
“I think they all benefited from that, and that’s gone now because Salah isn’t the force he once was. He scored his first league goal since November or something against Wolves.
“Salah has struggled since the Christmas before last. He struggled to score goals from open play, and that hasn’t changed, it won’t change.
“He might get the odd goal, but he certainly doesn’t have the influence he used to have on Liverpool. Hopefully, we’ll see a little cameo over the last nine or 10 games to get Liverpool into the top five. But I think his best days are behind him.”
Hamann also called to the club to begin planning for a future without Salah and identified Michael Olise as an ideal replacement. The Bayern Munich winger has impressed with his performances since moving to the Bundesliga. Liverpool’s Luis Diaz went the other way last summer.
“For Liverpool, Michael Olise would be the perfect fit because he plays on the right-hand side, comes inside,” Hamann said. “He’s been brilliant since he came to Bayern Munich.
“He’s been a bit quiet in the last few weeks, but there are other players who decide games. But now with the Champions League starting again, I think we’ll probably see the best of him again.
“He’s a wonderful player. I probably couldn’t think of a more perfect replacement for Salah than him. Bayern Munich will be reluctant to let him go because I don’t think he’s got a clause in his contract.”
