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It hasn’t been the start to the season anyone would have envisaged for Mohamed Salah - least of all, the player himself.
After a spectacular individual campaign that fired Liverpool to the Premier League title, and led him to be considered among the favorites for the Ballon d’Or, Salah was expected to hit the ground running again this season, with his contract drama behind him and plenty of firepower added to support him in the summer.
It hasn’t quite worked out like that though. A record of three goals and three assists in 10 games still doesn’t read too badly, but anyone who has watched the Reds this season will know Salah has not been at his best.
His latest performance against Chelsea has raised some questions about his output, with Marc Cucurella revealing the Blues deliberately targeted Liverpool’s right-hand side due to the space left by the 33-year-old.
Salah is generally given more freedom by Arne Slot, with the Egyptian having revealed that he discussed having fewer defensive responsibilities with his head coach last season.
“I told him: ‘As long as you rest me defensively, I will provide offensively. Try to rest me as much as I could and I will show you the numbers’. I’m glad that I did,” Salah explained in April after Liverpool secured the Premier League title.
“It was the manager’s idea but I think he listened a lot. I spoke to him and you can see the numbers.
“It’s quite tricky because when you play in the Premier League you have to defend also. I told him that I can gamble here and there but when I get the ball I am always free and can make the difference.
“I think the number of assists also shows that. It’s not just goals - it’s about creating chances that are different for the team.”
Unfortunately for Salah, the goals and assists haven’t been flowing with the same regularity as they were last season, and the spotlight is now on that lack of defensive responsibility.
Wayne Rooney is among those to have had his say on the issue, with the former Manchester United forward calling upon his experiences at Old Trafford as he offered a potential solution to Slot.
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"I think when you get a bit older as well, [Arne] Slot maybe could have looked at that and thought, 'Chelsea are killing us down the side'," he said on The Wayne Rooney Show.
"Move him (Salah) inside and move [Florian] Wirtz out there and still have that work ethic in there and the brilliance of Salah to try and score goals. The best managers see that and adjust.
"I'm not saying you leave him out of the team.
"We had that with [Cristiano] Ronaldo at Manchester United who similarly wouldn't track back so Fergie [Sir Alex Ferguson] moves him inside, so you still have the balance of the team and the work getting done.
"He moves him inside so he is still on the pitch because he's always got a chance of scoring goals and winning games."
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