While Mohamed Salah’s style of play is easily compared to Lionel Messi, his obsession with scoring goals is far more like Cristiano Ronaldo.
Salah earned criticism after Liverpool’s 3-0 win at Burnley in their last outing, having failed to tee-up both Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane in the second half.
Speaking to beIN Sports, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes the Egyptian is “obssesed” with goals, urging him to become even more like Messi:
He is similar to Messi. He must still find the consistency of Messi.
I find him a just as good finisher but Messi is the complete thing – he gives the final ball as well and Salah is a bit obsessed now by finishing himself so that’s a dimension he’ll get certainly when he gets a little bit older.
To find the moment when you have to give the ball and when you have to finish. I like him very much, he has huge potential.
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Wenger’s comments are completely fair on the whole, with Salah still at an age where his game can become even more fine-tuned.
The Messi comparisons are clear, given their diminutive stature, beautiful left foots and dribbling ability, but it is Ronaldo who Salah is more similar to.
Both have an incredible hunger to score goals, with Golden Boots and breaking record meaning the world to them, certainly in comparison to someone like Messi.
There is an undoubted greediness to Salah’s game, but it is important to stress that the issue has been overblown hugely.
The 27-year-old has been selfless many times in his career, laying on assists for teammates, and at the end of the day, his remarkable goalscoring record suggests he has every right to back himself more often than not.
Frankly, if Liverpool’s biggest issue right now is a player not passing to teammates when they are 3-0 up, they must be doing pretty well.
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