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Perhaps it’s inevitable that we’ve all become so focused on one individual after such a thrilling individual season, but in many ways the new level of scrutiny placed on Mohamed Salah amid a disappointing start to the new campaign highlights the relative superficiality of modern football.
As irresistibly unstoppable as the Egyptian attacker was during his debut term at Anfield, the defence-stretching pace of Sadio Mane and the warrior-like holdup play of Roberto Firmino, not to mention the fact both are legitimate backline-occupying goal threats in their own right, certainly helped Salah’s cause. They bought Salah space, drew away defenders and delivered the ball to him in dangerous areas.
Liverpool’s scoreless draw with Manchester City on Sunday was once again a disappointing afternoon for Salah, and once again the microscope was placed on him after failing to find the net against opponents that conceded three goals and two assists to him last season alone. But Reds legend Jamie Carragher was quick to turn the attention to Salah’s support acts instead.
“The focus is on Salah a lot, but the other two aren’t firing at all. I think Firimino’s got one goal in five now, Mane’s got one in six or seven.”
The statistics too, firmly endorse Carragher’s hypothesis. In addition to their recent struggles in front of goal, Firmino and Mane failed to make any kind of mark against the Citizens at Anfield, their combined 161 minutes on the pitch producing no efforts at goal, no key passes and just one successful dribble, while suffering three dispossessions and four unsuccessful touches.
Firmino, in fact, had just 21 touches before being subbed off in the 71st minute – less than James Milner managed despite hobbling off midway through the first half with a hamstring injury – while Mane committed the second-most unsuccessful touches of any player on the pitch. Salah, meanwhile, although far from enjoying a fine performance himself, at least managed three efforts at goal – the most of any Liverpool player.
So perhaps its time to stop isolating Salah’s form and keep it in the context of what’s going on around him. Mane and Firmino are far from firing on all cylinders either, and Liverpool in fact have now failed to score in consecutive games for the first time since January 2017. That can’t all be placed on the former Roma forward’s shoulders alone.
But failing to hit the net against Plymouth and Southampton, as was the case 20 months ago, was certainly of greater concern than suffering the same problem against Napoli and Manchester City.
In many ways, the level of expectation now placed on this Liverpool front-line, and especially Salah, is an endorsement of the progress the Anfield outfit have made under Jurgen Klopp.