- Mohamed Salah has had a significant drop-off this season
- The Egyptian’s sub-par performances have reflected on Liverpool
- He may also be holding his teammates back
“He’s hit a wall.” Arne Slot is warned as a Liverpool star’s form collapses, with Mo Salah’s dominant influence being named as the surprising reason for the struggle.
If anyone thought that Salah announcing his plan to leave the club at the end of the season during the international break was magically going to improve the Reds’ performances, they were horribly wrong.
Liverpool looked as bad as they have been all season, as they suffered an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the quarter-final of the FA Cup at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, 3 April.
Arne Slot’s men made a strong start to the game, but looked out of ideas and motivation as soon as Erling Haaland’s opener found the back of the net in the 39th minute.
The hosts went on to run riot, with Pep Lijnders rubbing it in by celebrating excessively on the City touchline in Pep Guardiola’s absence.
Salah may be holding Florian Wirtz back
If one moment could sum up Liverpool and Salah’s season perfectly, it would be him having his penalty saved by James Trafford in the 65th minute.
Even the most ardent Reds supporter would have suspected that the 33-year-old would fail to convert the chance, given his reputation these days.
The worst aspect of Salah’s deteriorating standards is perhaps that he is also holding his teammates back.
For example, Florian Wirtz, who had just two touches in the opposition box at the weekend, has failed to meet his expectations since his £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen.
Assessing the attacker’s difficult start to life on Merseyside, European football expert Andy Brassell on TalkSport claimed that he has hit what is known as the ‘rookie wall’ in the NBA.
He has no doubts about the 22-year-old’s abilities, having seen him shine against Switzerland for Germany during the break, and insisted that a player’s first season in the Premier League is always going to be difficult.
Speaking live on air, Brassell said: “I just think it’s almost like the rookie wall in the NBA, isn’t it? That first season in the Premier League is tough, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. Now look, when he was on the international break, he had a great game for Germany against Switzerland. He was fantastic with two goals and two assists.”
Brassell is also of the view that Salah’s presence has not helped Wirtz’s cause, with the Egyptian still the main man at Anfield.
Therefore, he expects the German to get better when the former Chelsea man departs at the end of the season.
He added: “I guess one of Liverpool’s whole problems this season has been a lot changing far too quickly, and they kind of lost the magic of what happened last season accordingly. Now, really, for someone to turn up in their first Premier League season to one of the biggest clubs in the world and be told: ‘Right, this is your team’ – I mean that is a lot of pressure.
“Especially when the guy whose team it previously was is still there, albeit playing a different role. I think it’ll be easier for him, even though they don’t play the same position obviously, when Mo Salah has gone.”
Liverpool must build around Wirtz
Social media football influencers might tell you that Liverpool have flushed £116m down the toilet by signing Wirtz.
However, anyone who has watched the Reds regularly would know that he has shown more than enough signs of what he can do for the team.
The attacker even appeared to be hitting his peak form between December and February, scoring six goals and providing five assists across all competitions, before suffering a back injury.
Two things can be true at once. Wirtz has left a lot to be desired in his debut season in England, but he is nowhere close to being a flop.
Many fans would admit that the Reds are in a period of transition, and it remains to be seen how their prized asset will fare next season, especially in the wake of Salah’s exit.
