Many fans and pundits have been suggesting that Kevin De Bruyne should have been named the PFA Players’ Player of the Season for his role in Manchester City’s title win. Err…no. Absolutely not. Not when there has been an Egyptian running amok in the Premier League for almost eight months now.
The race between De Bruyne and Salah was not really as close as it had been portrayed. Both have had a highly impactful season and have been the best players for their respective clubs, undoubtedly.
De Bruyne has been at the centre of everything that makes City the team they are. Clear cut chance creation from open play (either by whipped in crosses or accurate and defence-splitting through balls), pinpoint deliveries from set pieces, unrelenting pressing for both offensive and defensive purposes…yes, suffice to say De Bruyne has run the show for City.
On the other hand, the general perception of Salah has been that he is merely a goalscorer, which devalues his immense contribution to the side. This is as far from the truth as it can possibly get. Also, it is ridiculous for anyone to underrate the incredible goalscoring exploits of someone who is not a natural striker and has never been one. 40 goals, people.
The way Liverpool play facilitates Salah to the greatest extent and the other way round. Jurgen Klopp has admitted that it is the forward’s intelligence and ability to be at the right place in the right circumstances that make the team’s attack more potent than it has ever been.
It was merely a question of using those qualities to the benefit of the team, which the manager has done spectacularly, leading the club to the Champions League semi-finals along the way.
The Reds’ strategy has been designed to maximise the pace and intelligent movement he offers. The attacks are most effective during transitions meaning when Liverpool win the ball from the opponent or when possession changes hands they can disorganise the opposition defence through the intelligent movement which the front three are supremely talented at.
Salah leads the attack on this front, making him a target for the midfielders and forwards to feed the through-balls to. He has also created many goalscoring opportunities out of nowhere, using his prodigious skills and underrated physicality. More often than not, the ball has ended up in the back of the net, either by his own foot or a teammate’s. If this isn’t evidence of him being more than a goalscorer, nothing is.
The initial uproar regarding his finishing was misguided; forwards do miss a significant percentage of clear-cut chances presented to them, even players like Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane.
Salah has since evolved as a player; with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane aiding him on a regular basis. His finishing has definitely improved as the season wore on.
Another vital aspect of his game is that his goals have changed the result of the game, meaning he almost always puts Liverpool in front or levels the game.
He has also won Liverpool the most points of all in the league. His influence is overwhelming and it would not be an understatement to say that the progress the Reds have made in the league and their performances in the Champions League have been largely due to Salah and his ability to perform when it matters.
There is also strong support for the notion that the best player of the best team deserves the award, simply based on the logic that without that particular player’s contribution, the team would not be the best.
Which is far from the truth. This is an award for individual players. What’s to say that Salah would not have outperformed De Bruyne had they been on the same team?
There is an argument to be made that Salah deserves even more credit for his performances given how much less talented Liverpool’s squad is than City. Would De Bruyne be the player he is if he was at Liverpool?
This is precisely the reason why this is a flawed premise to have regarding who the Player of the Year should be. The best player of the best team in the league cannot always be the best player in the league; that is a very narrow-minded approach to have in this debate.
Salah was never given the attention he deserved when he was signed. He was never expected to hit these numbers. He was never expected to be the best player at Liverpool, let alone the league. But he has done all that since wearing the Liverpool red.
Klopp’s tweaks to get the best out of him and consequently the front three has been nothing short of a miracle and Salah has made the best use of that. For a measly £34 million (in today’s market), Liverpool have yet again found a gem.
