20 hours ago
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Liverpool icon Graeme Souness has joined the chorus of pundits questioning Mohamed Salah's form.
Liverpool's Premier League campaign is in turmoil, with a 3-0 drubbing by Nottingham Forest on Saturday pushing the team down to 12th place in the standings – a staggering 11 points behind Arsenal in first. Manager Arne Slot is feeling the heat to reverse the team's fortunes after accepting blame for the current downturn.
However, while Slot has taken responsibility, insisting the poor form is his doing, Souness sees it differently. He argues that the players should be stepping up on the pitch and singled out Salah for specific criticism following another poor display against Forest.
"My blame would be on the players right now," Souness said on talkSPORT.
"He (Slot) will be using the same words, the same tactics, training the same way, resting them the same way, the travel is the same. He’s doing all that, and he’ll be scratching his head and staying awake at night. I put it firmly at the feet of the players."
He added: "Take the new signings out of the picture. What’s happened to the guys that won the league last time?
"They’re the same players... I’m not absolving the manager of any blame, but he’s got a group of players that were bloody good last year, and people were paying them enormous plaudits, correctly so."
When asked if Salah needs to step up his game, the former Liverpool manager responded: “Oh Christ! How long have we got?
"He’s been an absolute superstar. This is the nicest thing I can say about Salah: he’s been the go-to man for the last seven years. If you’re picking an all-time Liverpool XI, he’s one of the first names on the team sheet.
“But I think it’s his brother who has turned up this season. I saw an incident in the Community Shield. I’m looking for little signals.
"He had his back to the sideline, and a ball is played up towards the Crystal Palace left-back. He’s not going to win it; he’s not the most physical type, but he could at least go and try and make life difficult for the full-back. He made no attempt to make that challenge.
"He’s never been the bravest. He’s never going to get hurt in a 50/50, and I wouldn’t want him to because he’s such a genius at the top end.
"But he’s shown a lack of appetite. I’m sorry, but hard words are sometimes the kindest words, and I think he needs hard words, and, ultimately, they’ll get him back to being the superstar that he’s been for Liverpool.
"This season, he has not turned up."
Salah has managed just five goals and three assists in 17 appearances this season after his contribution to Liverpool's title triumph with his finest attacking output of 34 goals and 23 assists across 52 matches in 2024-25.
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