Mo Salah - What is to be done?
By Steven Northover
So that’s that, then.
Liverpool are on a four game losing streak, the first time that's happened since the 1986-87 season, or to put it another way, before I was born. The team is disjointed, the players lack confidence, and the manager seems to have run out of ideas.
But most glaring of all, Mohamed Salah, only a few months ago, in the form of his life, scoring and creating goals at a rate he had never achieved before in his career, is now… past it?
There comes a point where ‘poor form’ stops, and a genuine lack of ability takes over. I’ve written before about what may be affecting Salah’s form, but the realities are stark. Liverpool aren’t winning anymore, and things have to change, first and foremost, our main attacking threat.
The irony, of course, is that Liverpool have an abundance of right sided wingers, indeed during the summer, there was criticism that Liverpool had too many players who could play there, given Salah’s form, but now look where we are.
So let's run down Salah’s likely replacements going forward:
Jeremie Frimpong
Credit- Liverpool FC
There's some argument to say that one of Salah’s main issues this season is the lack of understanding he has with Liverpool’s newest right back.
Seen very much as a ‘Trent Alexander-Arnold replacement’, the Dutch's introduction into the Liverpool first team has been hampered by a hamstring injury that has kept him out of a number of matches this season.
Even then, he was never going to be a ‘like-for-like’ replacement for TAA, with Frimping very much in the mold of an attacking wing-back rather than a orthodox ‘right back’.
He did, however, come on to replace Salah against Manchester United in the 85th minute, and appeared to have much more energy and endeavor in those last five (well, about twelve, all told) minutes, than the Egyptian had had in the previous eighty-five.
However, although he has played in a similar position for his previous clubs, specifically at Bayer Leverkusen, he still lacked the attacking penetration and imagination required for someone to play in that position at Liverpool, especially when taking into account of who he is replacing, and the reasons behind it.
Replacement?
Eventually, perhaps, but not right now.
Dominik Szoboszlai
Credit- Liverpool FC
It’s far too early for the season to be written off entirely.
But one of the shining lights of this season is the form of Dominic Szoboszlai.
A lot was made of the Hungarian’s arrival two seasons ago, however there were periods where his performances were left wanting. Arguably, he was played out of position (that is to say, in a much more withdrawn) central midfield role under Jurgen Klopp, and was unable to make a bigger impact going forward in the same way he had been for his national team.
With Slot’s arrival, ‘Szobo’ has been moved further up the pitch, certainly last season, where he was able to score eight and assist in nine goals.
Meanwhile, goals against Arsenal and assists against Bournemouth and Atletico Madrid, have caused the Hungarian to become one of the main conduits for Liverpool’s attack.
It is at right back, however, where he has had the most impressive impact. After injuries to both Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley, Slot moved Szoboszlai into that position, and whereas the fullback positions had been a ‘problem area’ throughout the early part of the season, at least at right back, there was some defensive strength.
It's that versatility that has made him such an important player, able to switch positions, Gerrard-esque, midway through games, and able to affect the outcome from any position he’s asked to play.
Plus he has played on the Right Wing before, at Liverpool, but also his previous clubs. So given all that, then the idea of him playing in Salah’s position isn’t out of the question, but he is a central midfielder, he may be able to play there, but his attributes, such as his passing range, athleticism, and his eye for goal, would be wasted, especially with how wide Slot likes to play his wingers.
Likelihood?
He could do it, but it would be a waste and leave a hole in the midfield.
Alexander Isak
Credit- Liverpool FC
There is a lot to write about Alexander Isak’s early career, but that’s for another day and another article.
The facts of the matter are that given his form for his previous club, and his proven abilities as a forward, his Liverpool career has been ‘forgettable’ in a season of forgettable performances.
There are, of course, a number of reasons for this, a lack of a preseason, new strategy and playing style, I could go on, but the reality is that he is yet to get going at Liverpool.
The good news is that he has plenty of time to turn it around. Like I’ve said before, this season is far from a right-off (yet), and there are a multitude of scenarios where current form could be completely different by the end of the season.
As for Salah’s replacement, although known as an out and out striker, he has played ‘out wide’ a number of times for both club and country throughout his career, and whilst that has usually been on the left, he has also done it on the opposite wing.
That said, in a similar vein to Domonic Szoboszlai, Isak was bought to be a striker, a position where Liverpool are particularly threadbare. Thus, given Liverpool’s lack of goals, it doesn't make much tactical sense to make a player, still searching for his own form, into a position he is less comfortable with.
Likelihood?
Like Dominic, it seems like it would cause more trouble than solve.
Federico Chiesa
Credit- Liverpool FC
Of all Liverpool’s players who can play on the right wing, outside of Salah, Federico Chiesa is the only one who is meant to play there.
The Italian’s career at Liverpool has been…odd.
Despite a number of noticeable performances (certainly this season) Slot has seemingly been unwilling to play him on the right wing, much more likely to play down the center or as a striker, largely due to Salah’s previous ‘undroppable’ status.
But the facts are stark, whilst Mo Salah appears to be going backwards, Chiesa seems to be growing into both his role and the club. Indeed, it was his assist that allowed Gakpo to score, and he remained a dynamic threat for the rest of the game, so there is a strong argument to say that if he would have come on earlier, then the outcome of the match could be different.
Throughout his career at Liverpool, one very noticeable aspect of his personality has been his patience. Even when he it looked likely to return to Italy, he chose to stay, saying at the time:
“I want to play for Liverpool. I want to be here and give my best for the club….Playing at Anfield gives me shivers.”
Likelihood?
He’s literally Liverpool’s ‘other’ Right Winger, he has to start. He has proven enough times that he can turn games for Liverpool, and he's patient to wait for his chance, and this is that moment.
Conclusion:
Like I said in the introduction, Liverpool currently have a number of players who can play on the wide right. In fact there are too many to mention here, mainly because their best roles are somewhere else (Gakpo, Wirtz) or they’re too young (Ngumoha). But that aside, there is only one current Liverpool player who is in the position (excuse the pun) to play as a right winger, and that is Chiesa.
Salah needs time out for the first time, yes because of his form, but also because he is coming to the end of his time at Liverpool. So, in a round about way, it is probably a good thing that this discussion is happening now, instead of in two years time.
To my mind, it's a similar situation to Steven Gerrard, wherein as that generation's best player, he was played too often towards the end of his career, becoming more and more ineffectual as time wore on. It meant, once he had left, that Liverpool had a huge hole in their midfield that hasn’t been filled to the same level since.
At least now, with Salah seemingly edging towards retirement, those questions of what to do on the right can be asked. If nothing else, it means that more players are likely to play more regularly, and that can only be a good thing.